Candy Flavored Venom
by Kamikalo
Summary: When Robbie's old professor comes to town, things seem happy and well. But when the good Doctor makes a strange request, Sportacus finds himself in a dangerous situation that an elf just can't save himself in. SportaRobbie. Later will be changed to M.
1. Observation

Sportacus sat on the wall adjacent to the play ground, deep in thought. He hadn't seen Robbie around all day, and lately, that was unusual. Robbie and Sportacus finally had relatively become friends, and Robbie actually came outside everyday to socialize. But today was different. Robbie didn't come out at all. Sportacus knew Robbie wasn't sick. The crystal would have gone off, or so he figured and hoped. So that left the possibility of Robbie not wanting to see anyone today. Sportacus's heart sank at the idea of Robbie not wanting to see him, let alone the pain of keeping his secret from him. What Robbie needed to do was start letting people know stuff, in which Robbie wouldn't do because he's so secretive. Sportacus pouted at the thought. _Not even a phone call or note._

It was an odd occurrence for the elf, sitting in thought for so long. Usually, he at least moved and did exercises, but lately his feelings for Robbie kept him from moving as much as Sportacus used to. Which brought up another thing in Sportacus's mind; his feelings for Robbie. Sportacus was never sure what he felt. Love, maybe? Crush? Both? He remembered asking Stephanie about the whole love business, but he didn't get much out of her. Well, nothing that would help an adult. The conclusion Sportacus had made was that he indeed was in love with Robbie. Sportacus didn't have much trouble admitting it to himself, but the idea of admitting it to anyone else was a hard one to swallow.

What would the kids think? What would the Mayor think? But most importantly, what would Robbie think? Sportacus was lucky to get Robbie as a friend, let along a lover or soul mate. After all that time of being the town villain and trying to make Sportacus leave, Robbie finally came around. _Why can't I be grateful for that? I am…but why do I have to want more from the poor guy?_ Sportacus felt a tad guilty. Robbie indeed made a lot of progress and now was one of the better people on that side of LazyTown. That's all Sportacus had wanted before, so why was he wanting Robbie to change or tweak himself now to be forever Sportacus's?

Sportacus sighed and shook the ideas from his head. He'd deal with those thoughts and problems a different time. Sportacus found it easy to hide his feelings from the world, so that's what he was going to do…for now, anyways. Sportacus hopped down from the wall and sprinted to the billboard. Curiosity of Robbie's whereabouts was plaguing his mind at this point, and it wasn't going to go away until Sportacus found out.

--------------------------

Robbie hummed happily as he dusted off his machinery. It was an exciting day. His old professor was coming for a visit, and Robbie needed to make this place just perfect for him. All of his machinery was a mess, hadn't been dusted off in years.

Robbie had always been close to his professor. He had been the only one to see Robbie for his potential and talents back in the day. To Robbie, Professor Fuuten was his father figure. Robbie couldn't remember his father, meaning he wasn't that great or important, but the Professor took care of all that. Professor Fuuten was a medical and science genius. Everything Robbie knew about chemistry, biology, medicine…everything…came from the professor. Sometimes, Professor Fuuten was referred to as Dr. Fuuten for his amazing medical skills.Robbie always smiled when he thought back to the days he had with Dr. Fuuten. Lab mess ups, bad tests, everything. It was all embedded into a cloud of laughs and lessons. _Ah, those were the days._

"Am I seeing this right?"

Robbie sighed, slightly scowling. He turned around to see the blue elf standing just outside the pipe, hands on his hips and an eye brow cocked.

"Robbie? Cleaning? I think sugar just turned healthy."

"Why don't you go eat some and find out then?"

Sportacus grinned, "Oh no. That's just fine."

Robbie snorted, returning to his dusting, "Pity."

Sportacus looked around the lair. Everything was nearly sparkling with cleanliness. It was an odd feeling to tack on the word 'cleanliness' to Robbie's lair. A lair was a lair. It was supposed to be dirty and drafty. Sportacus walked around examining the tables and machinery.

"Huh. I never would have guessed you were such a good cleaner, Robbie."

Robbie continued to dust, "You would never guess a lot of things. Shows how much you people know."

"Half of this stuff has turned a different color since you've cleaned it. You probably haven't cleaned in years, have you?"

Robbie huffed, "Why?"

Sportacus aimlessly meandered, "Well, too much dust could cause bad cough…and mold! If you had mold around here, you'd get-"

"I make sure there's no mold all the time, SportaClean."

Sportacus made his way to Robbie's orange fuzzy chair. The absence of the dust made Robbie's lair less dark and gloomy looking. It even smelled clean in this place. Usually it smelt like grease, oil, and sweets. Now it smelt like citrus, woods and pine. He flopped into the chair, reclining.

"Must be some special occasion for you to make it this clean in here."

"Indeed it is."

Sportacus's eyes went wide and he peered over the top of Robbie's chair, "Huh?"

"Someone is coming over today, and I don't need you to get this place in a shamble!"

Sportacus peeked over the top of the chair. Someone coming over, eh? That's odd. Robbie NEVER invites people to his lair.

"Who?"

"You don't know the person."

Sportacus sat back down in thought. _Someone I don't know, eh? Family? Not that I know of…_He gasped mentally and his heart sank as he held his breath. _Relationship kind of person??_

"An old professor of mine."

Sportacus let go of his breath.

Robbie peeked over the chair, "You okay?"

Sportacus weakly smiled, "No problem."

Robbie snorted in light amusement, "Anyways, this guy taught me all I know. If it weren't for him, I bet I'd be out drug dealing in the big city."

Sportacus cringed. Robbie? Drug dealing? He didn't want to even imagine it. It was bad enough that he could be caught by police, but the idea of Robbie taking drugs? It hurt. And if Robbie just dealt drugs? He could get beaten or even killed, then robbed of the 'goods.' Sportacus cringed again. No, not his Robbie…

"I don't know. Drugs are disgusting anyways."

Sportacus sighed in relief.

"Dr. Fuuten saved me from being homeless and in poverty. Grand man, he is. He even offered me a position at his own university."

Sportacus looked thoughtfully at Robbie, "Did you take it?"

"No."

"Huh? Why?"

Robbie was silent. To tell the truth, he wasn't quite sure why he had declined the offer. It was a high paying job, easy, familiar surroundings…it would have been perfect. Well, it was also in the midst of a big city and cities were noisy. Robbie sighed.

"I don't know. I didn't like the big city anyways."

"Ah, I see."

Robbie walked to his bookcase and straightened some pictures, "After I turned the offer down, I felt like I had let down the Doctor. He didn't show it, but somehow, I knew," Robbie got quieter, "he was disappointed."

Sportacus's ears tweaked, "I'm sure he understood…"

"I gotta go to the store."

------------------------------

"Sportacus…you're embarrassing me…"

Sportacus was zipping from table to table, practically drooling over the fruits and vegetables. Harvest season was here and all the stores had the freshest produce available. Sportacus was a woman in her favorite clothing store. The freshness was killing him. Robbie hid his face as people stared at Sportacus's odd behavior. It was bad enough that Sportacus insisted he came with, but to act like this in public? Inexcusable. Sportacus made a mad dash for the cherries.

"Chheerrriiieesss!"

Robbie held his hand out and grabbed Sportacus's shirt as he quickly dove for the cherries. Sportacus's legs flung up and he fell down in with a grunt. It left him unfazed. Sportacus stretched his arms out as long as possible, trying to reach the delectable, red drops of fruity goodness. When he found no progress, Sportacus whined and gave Robbie his little puppy dog eyes.

"Roooobbbiieeee…." His bottom lip protruded.

"What?"

"Pwweeaassee?"

Robbie snorted, pulling him up, "No."

Robbie, after a lot of work, picked Sportacus up and strapped him into the cart. Sportacus whined some more, pouting and protesting to no end. There were giggles heard among the people as they went back to everyday shopping.

"Robbie, this is dumb!"

"You're less embarrassing this way than before."

"Nuh-UH!"

"Yes-uh. You wait here now."

Robbie wheeled the cart out into the middle of no where so Sportacus couldn't grab anything. Once secure, Robbie started glancing over the produce himself. Dr. Fuuten liked his fruits and vegetables, so it was appropriate to have some waiting for the good Doctor. Sportacus crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. It wasn't fair. He wasn't a little kid. And this was the man Sportacus wanted to be with forever. _Che. He better not do this ever again…_

A woman with a little girl wheeled her cart near Sportacus, leaving momentarily to retrieve her own fruits. The girl looked at Sportacus curiously. Her head tilted and a finger was up to her lips. Sportacus looked away, a faint blush on his face. _How embarrassing…_

"Hey, mister?"

"Yes?"

"Were you being bad?"

"No…why?"

The girl smiled, "Cuz' that's what my momma does! Puts me in the cart when I'm bad!" She laughed and pointed at Sportacus, "You must have been really bad!"

Sportacus glared, "I was not!"

"Was too!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

Sportacus stuck his out at her, "Was not!"

Robbie walked back to the cart holding peaches, pears, carrots and cauliflower. The smell was almost unbearable, but he could stand it for now. Robbie's eyes went to Sportacus and the little girl, both tongues still erect. Robbie sighed. He just couldn't take Sportacus to the store anymore. He placed the items in the cart and walked back to the front.

Robbie grabbed Sportacus's tongue, "Can't you behave?"

Sportacus squeaked, "Shbee sparted it."

"Did not!"

Robbie let go of Sportacus's tongue, "I mean, really. Picking fights with little kids?" He began to roll the cart away. "That is pathetic, elf! And you're supposed to be a role model for these kids!"

Sportacus protested, "But she-But she started it!"

"Yeah? Well I'm ending it!"

----------------------------------------

"I think you're lying."

"I am not!"

"You are."

"AM NOT!"

Robbie walked out of the store, arms full of bags filled with merchandise. Sportacus trudged behind. His arms had a few bags, but no where near Robbie's load.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not!"

Robbie smirked and continued walking, "I don't care what you say. I still think that you, like many other people, would find the vision of Hugh Laurie covered in chocolate and a strawberry laid out on a white, linen bed is hot."

Sportacus huffed, "All lies!"  
"Please…Stop denying it."

Sportacus sighed. Robbie teased like this all the time, even if Robbie was right and didn't know it. Sportacus couldn't help it. The vision was tasty, even if it did involve the sugary masses of chocolate. But then again, Sportacus had many visions and day dreas of Robbie bathing in a fruit bowl. Let Robbie win. He jogged to catch up with Robbie, sighing in fake defeat.

"All right. You win."

"Damn straight."

"Well, bless my soul. Robert?"

Both Robbie and Sportacus stopped. Robbie knew that voice. There was only one person in the entire world that would call him by 'Robert.' Robbie turned. A gray haired old man stood with a brief case. His light brown trench coat hung at his knees and his thin rimmed glasses shimmered in the sun. Robbie's face was lit with a smile. Sportacus cocked his head to the side.

"Well, I can't believe it. It is you, Robert!"

Robbie put his bags down, "Dr. Fuuten!"

Sportacus cocked an eye brow, "Robert?"

Robbie walked over and hugged the Doctor, both of them laughing. Pulling back, Dr. Fuuten gave Robbie a firm handshake. As if directed to, they both immediately began to chat. Sportacus knew none of what they were talking about, nor was he really listening either. Sportacus was deep in thought again. He wanted to hug Robbie like that, no…more than just hug Robbie. But that was for other times. Sportacus smiled slightly. The life in Robbie's eyes just seemed to beam brighter than any time before. And it was all because of this one man that used to be his mentor.

Robbie laughed, looking back momentarily. Sportacus caught his eye, and Robbie cursed mentally about forgetting him. Robbie quickly walked back and grabbed Sportacus by the arm, pulling him to the Doctor. Sportacus blushed slightly, feeling nervous and shy suddenly.

"Dr. Fuuten, this is my friend, Sportacus."

"Well," Dr. Fuuten held his hand out, "Nice to meet you, young man."

Sportacus grabbed his hand, "Yes, you too."

Robbie beamed. He felt full of pride. Why, he wasn't sure. Just was. Dr. Fuuten laughed. Maybe it was because Robbie was finally able to show his old mentor he hadn't failed at life. He couldn't wait to show the Doctor his inventions and his studies. It was a wonderful world.

"Dr. Fuuten, I'm sure you're tired from your long trip. Let's go back to my home."

Dr. Fuuten nodded, "Why yes. Splendid idea!" He turned to Sportacus, "Are you coming with, my boy?"

Sportacus waved his hands, "Oh no, no, no. I don't want to intrude on your reunion."

Robbie picked his bags up again, "Oh don't be dumb, elf! You're coming with us!"

"But…I don't know…"

Dr. Fuuten grabbed Sportacus's arm, "Come now, come!"

"Er…okay…"

The three of them walked down the street to Robbie's billboard. Sportacus couldn't wear off the feeling, but something was strange about this man. A strange feeling was lofting around him, sucking people in as it was touched. Sportacus had to force himself to push it aside. _Probably because he's new._ But Sportacus never had problems with new people before. It was odd.

But Sportacus knew he could stand it. He had to. This was important to Robbie…and what was important to Robbie was important to him.

* * *

AN  
Hark! A new fic from the Kami-chan!

This entire fic is based off of a dream I once had. The doctor is actually a scientist and not a doctor, but he's that smart you know. Knows everything. Fuuten means insanity in Japanese. So yeah. Anywhoo, I don't want to give much of the dream, because that'll ruin the entire fic for you peoples! The Hugh Laurie thing is result of my House fandom and long stretch for momentary humor. Go figure. It's flat. Totally not what I was going for, but hell. It's not important anyways. I blame it on school. This college paper is sucking the life out of me. Sociollogy too...Stupid school.

Enjoy, peoples!


	2. Research

Sportacus yawned as quietly as possible. Dr. Fuuten had been talking for the last hour or so, telling of great scientific studies and research, and discussing mechanics as far as what Robbie had shown him; which was very little. Robbie was too interested in what the good Doctor had to say about his research on…Sportacus couldn't remember…brain functions and the ties with social mobility? Something like that.

"That's when I realized that this particular chemical could only be found in the sustenance of a rare plant. I was unsure of its where abouts, but after careful research, it was right under my nose."

Robbie poured Dr. Fuuten another cup of his favorite tea. The Doctor picked the cup up and breathed in the warm fumes of the liquid before sipping it cautiously. Sportacus sat on the opposite chair. His face was scrunched. All this scientific talk between Robbie and Dr. Fuuten was making Sportacus's brain hurt. It was bad enough that he didn't understand a majority of it. Dr. Fuuten set his cup down, and as Robbie sat on his chair, he continued.

"As far as my research on the brain's cycle of thought, it is quite evident that the brain itself could hold the valuable chemical that could lead to cures for other diseases. Cancer, for one. It could do wonders for this world. Extraordinary."

Robbie crossed his legs, "That's quite interesting. I always knew that you were the man to find the cure for such horrors." Robbie's chest puffed out, "I knew I was taught by the best."

Sportacus smiled, but said nothing.

"Oh, Robert my boy, it is not proven yet. But I am flattered."

"What kind of chemical, Dr.?"

"It's rare. No known chemicals or elements could be combined to make a pure form of this substance. As I've said before, the plant that it originates in is very rare, more rare than the appearance of an animal from the Endangered List."

"Meaning?"

"It's pretty much damned near extinct."

Sportacus's eyebrow went up. Extinct? He wasn't sure, but something just couldn't fit. If Dr. Fuuten had taken a plant as rare as that, he should have been in trouble. Things that endangered are protected, or at least Sportacus was sure of. Robbie rubbed his chin in thought.

"Where'd you find this plant?"

"The plant was located on an unidentified island in the North Atlantic. A relatively small island, it was; Small enough to be left undetected by satellites, so on and so forth. Quite frankly I surprised myself when I found it. It was about…oh…three years ago when I first found the island. Normally, such a find would have been reported to the military, but I did not. Too many discoveries to behold. And discoveries I did find."

Sportacus began to mildly tune him out. He was trying to remember something that happened three years past. There had been something bad happen to many people, but he couldn't remember what. Robbie nodded, intrigued.

"Oh, Robert. You would have loved it there. It was a prime place to do research. I also made a grand discovery besides the plant I was looking for."

"Oh really?"

Sportacus sighed. _Don't encourage him…please Robbie…I BEG OF YOU._

"While on my search for the Noushuyou plant, I traveled deep into heart of the island. Along the way, I discovered a bridge. It was not a wooden, rope bridge usually made by savages. It was a metal bridge, much like those in the cities or research facilities. I followed it and it led to a large facility, much larger than anything I've ever seen."

Robbie snorted, "That would explain why no body ever found the island. Whoever had been there must have had a way to block any signal that would give them away."

"Indeed. Once I went in side, I found that it was indeed a research and scientific studies facility. It was old and abandoned of course. Moss and foliage covered almost every inch of every surface. I wandered into every single room. Most of them were ordinary offices, but no file cabinets, in which I found quite strange.

"It wasn't until I went into the main chamber of the head professor. Inside there were many file cabinets and shelves full of books and papers. The papers contained procedures conducted in experiments otherwise found strange in the real world. Each experiment was described in the slightest detail, from the number of breaths the test subject took to the smallest little precise measurement. The research was of biologic tendencies and adaptations. Little sketches of each test subject and materials used were painstakingly detailed. To go with the sketches there were actual pictures of the procedures."

Robbie rubbed his chin. That was odd. The only reason there'd be an unidentified experiment station would be that illegal things are being committed. Crimes against humanity? Maybe. It was possible that the facility belonged to an old group of extreme elitists. But they've been long dead.

"I happened across many of the experiment locations on the rest of my inspection. Water chambers, incubators, examination chairs…Everything. There were also many different drugs and chemicals about, including the exact same chemical I wanted from the Noushuyou plant. In a back room, I found an entire garden of the Noushuyou plant. I figured they were after the same conclusions as I. After collecting many bundles of the plant and the books, papers, and diaries of the experiments, I spent many nights going through them all. Each page contained strange and fascinating information that would have came from my wildest dreams. These individuals actually were trying to put parts of one creature on another, like a bird's wings to the back of a rat." He paused for a minute, "Quite fascinating.

"Soon after, I went back to examine the equipment the facility contained. The equipment and tools were both ordinary and unordinary. There were many different kind of syringes and medical tools. I came to the conclusion the scientists there had a high degree in the medical field. I never found any trace of the scientists or their test subjects, thus I figured they were all dead."

Dr. Fuuten rubbed his eyes. Weariness was taking a toll on him. Robbie stood up and extended his hand to him.

"You may rest in my room if you want."

The Doctor waved his hand, "No, no. I do not want to infringe on you. I will be of much more use at my hotel."

As the good Doctor rose, Sportacus rose as well in respect. He hadn't contributed much to the conversation, but he wanted to get all the brownie points he could. After much doing, Dr. Fuuten managed to get out of the pipe and stood outside. Robbie and Sportacus popped out after him. The sun had begun to set, and there was a slight gentle breeze. Dr. Fuuten stroked his chin.

"I must also discuss with you, Robert, something in which I need a volunteer for."

Robbie cocked his eyebrow, "Volunteer?"

"Yes, yes."

"For what?"

Dr. Fuuten began to walk away towards town again, "You ask too many questions, my young pupil. That is good. It means I taught you well. All will be discussed tomorrow. Good day, gentlemen."

Robbie watched as his old mentor walked away, a smile etched on his face. He missed the old days, Robbie did. It was nice to finally talk to someone that was as genius as he was. Sportacus only watched silently, his eyes still full of curiosity. He wasn't sure about this doctor guy. The doctor's body movement bothered him as well. Whenever the doctor had mentioned something about the books and illustrations, his gestures were over done as if excited or enthused to actually partake in the same research.

Sportacus leaned against the billboard, watching as the old man disappeared into the distance. The breeze flew through his hair, lifting it slightly. There was something about the way Dr. Fuuten looked when he was speaking of the experiments done on the island. A spark flashed in his eye at the words of 'wings to the back of a rat.' It reminded Sportacus of something Stephanie had told him about scary movies. The bad guy, if talking about the crimes he's committed, always had that weird twinkle in his eye that meant something bad

"Great, isn't he?"

Sportacus didn't look at Robbie, "…yeah."

Robbie stood next to him, "Hm? You have another opinion?"

Sportacus shrugged, "I don't know. Something's bugging me…and it has something to do with what he said. I don't know. It's probably nothing."

Robbie snorted, "I wouldn't doubt it. You're strange sometimes, elf."

Sportacus smiled shyly, "Yeah…"

Robbie lifted the hatch to his lair, climbing in. Sportacus turned around and yawned. It was getting late for him and it was showing. Robbie waved Sportacus on, smiling.

"Go sleep. You look like crap."

Sportacus giggled, "Oh thank you, Robbie, for your kind observations. Good night."

"Good night."

--------------------------------

No one saw the thunderstorm roll in. It hit as soon as it was dark, and the rain it produced came down in sheets, bouncing off the pavement as each droplet hit the ground. The thunder rumbled as small flashes of lightning sprung above and in the clouds. Puddles were forming everywhere, in the streets, yards, everywhere.

There was one single light on in Room 28 on the second floor of LazyTown Hotel. A small, faint candle burned on a table next to the window. In the chair beside the table sat Dr. Fuuten. He slowly paged through an old book. The book was full of lavish illustrations done down to the last detail. With a pipe in his mouth, he smiled at some of the illustrations and words on each page. There were the particular few that made him stop and laugh quietly.

---------------------------

Sportacus peered down Robbie's pipe, "Hey. What? You drown down there?"

Robbie yelled back up the pipe, "Shut up! It's not my fault the storm came in!"

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Sportacus yelled back down, "It's not my fault that underground lairs have the tendency to fill up with water on special occasions. You know, maybe you should think of getting a better house."

When he heard something break, Sportacus knew he had said the wrong thing. Clangs and clunks could be heard with the sound of splashing water. Robbie's face appeared from the pipe. The man was obviously irritated.

"Me? Get a better house? And you have it so much better."

"Well…at least mine won't flood."

"Or so you think."

"My, my! Wild weather we had last night, wasn't it boys?"

Robbie and Sportacus looked up. Dr. Fuuten had snuck up on them. His shoes were wet from walking on the wet streets. Robbie leaned on the edge of the pipe.

"Good morning, Dr. Fuuten."

Sportacus nodded, "Yes, good morning!"

"Good morning, boys."

Robbie climbed out the pipe, "I'm afraid we'll have to talk in another place. My home is flooded."

Sportacus only snickered.

"Oh, that's not a problem, Robert."

---------------------------------------------

Robbie stirred his coffee slowly, "So, what's this about a volunteer?"

"Ah yes. I'm conducting some research in which I need to study brain patterns to certain stimuli. It's further research into my theory on the brain's chemicals."

"Hazardous?"

Dr. Fuuten paused for a minute, then, "No. Completely harmless. I was hoping you knew of someone that would do it for me."

"What are the qualifications?"

"Physically fit, healthy…someone not afraid to be trying new things and working."

Sportacus ate his fruit happily. If there was one thing he liked about breakfast, it was the fruit and he wasn't listening to the conversation. The fruit tasted extra good that day. At this point for some reason, he didn't care what people thought and was chomping his fruit greedily. Robbie and Dr. Fuuten watched Sportacus.

"Hm. The good fellow sure loves his fruit, Robert."

"Of course, Doctor. It's in his genes."

"Hm?"

Robbie sighed, "Sportacus is an elf."

Dr. Fuuten's eyes brightened, "An elf?"

Robbie pushed up Sportacus's hat to expose his pointed ears, "See? Just like the elf he is, Sportacus is a health nut. Exercising is about all he does really. Very fit."

The twinkle Sportacus didn't like was back in Dr. Fuuten's eye again, "Oh really?"

"Yes, sir."

"Sportacus?"

Sportacus looked up from his plate of grapes. He quickly chewed up the remaining grapes in his mouth and sat up straight.

"Yes, sir?"

"Will you help me with something?"

"Like what?"

"Let me experiment on you."

Sportacus's eyes went wide. _Experiment? On me?_ Sportacus felt really uncomfortable suddenly. He didn't want to do anything that would hurt him physically or mentally. His eyes diverted to the ground.

"Why me?"

Dr. Fuuten answered quickly, "Because you are the perfect person for the job. Perfect fitness, healthy, strong, a good boy…You are perfectly qualified! Everything I want and need."

Sportacus fidgeted, "I don't know-"

"I promise. No harm in any form will come to you. Think about it. It's for the good of the people! The very people you are trying to protect!"

Sportacus fidgeted again. He just wasn't sure. The research WAS for the good of everyone around him. Who knows? Maybe it'd save kids like Stephanie or Pixel from death one day. But things like this are risky, even if they're almost 100 safe. Sportacus glanced at Robbie. Robbie was watching him, arms folded over on the table. _I bet this would mean the world to Robbie…but am I willing to risk myself for a chance for Robbie?_ Both 'yes' and 'no' whizzed about in his head, but 'yes' was the dominant answer. Sportacus looked back at Dr. Fuuten.

"How long would it take?"

"Not very long. A few weeks tops."

"And it will cause no harm to me?"

"No harm in any shape or form."

"And it's for the good of the people?"

"Indeed. The best research in the best interests of mankind or elfin kind alike!"

"….I'll do it."

* * *

AN  
This is probably one of the shortest chapters I've written...ever...But it'll only get better.

I'm excited to start writing the actual meat of this fic now. Get over the bores and on with the main event. Well...I guess not until after chapter 3...sigh...Now that I'm working on 2 fics at the same time, I'll be alternating between story updates. Well, I guess that's until I get Creme actually finished.

Ah. Another strange name that I must have just made up. Actually no. Noushuyou means brain tumor in Japanese.

Read and comment peoples! I love you all, especially my dedicated readers!


	3. Ask A Question

Sportacus grabbed his small shoulder pack from inside his closet. Opening it, he began to place all sorts of fruits and vegetables in it. They were all just for snacks, hopefully.

_"What do I need?"_

_"Nothing, my boy! Not a thing!"_

_"Huh? No clothes? Nothing?"_

_"NOTHING!"_

Sportacus sighed. How was it possible that he didn't need extra clothes? He was going to be there, what, a few weeks at most? Sportacus definitely knew that he wouldn't stand to wear his same pair of clothes for each day. That would be unsanitary. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Sportacus climbed down his ladder and walked to Stephanie's house. He needed to say his goodbyes. They'd all worry about him, otherwise.

Sportacus refused to admit it out loud, but he was already feeling homesick. He had been in LazyTown for so long now. The very idea of leaving it for weeks on end tore at his hero heart. The kids, the mayor, Ms. Busybody…Robbie; he just couldn't detach himself. Each little detail Sportacus sketched into his mind. The playground, the billboard, everything; just in case he needed some comfort.

Walking down the street, Dr. Fuuten's body language darted from side to side in Sportacus's mind. He seemed to just grin at Sportacus with his hands behind his back. What made it worse was that spark in the good Dr.'s eye that Sportacus didn't like before. It was creepy, like he was planning something horrible. The thoughts were shaken from his mind when he finally knocked on Stephanie's door. The Mayor answered.

"Oh, well hello, Sportacus!"

"Hello, Mr. Mayor."

"And what brings you here today?"

Sportacus scratched his head, "Well, I needed to talk to Stephanie-"

"Oh yes, yes! She and the rest of the children are in the living room! Study groups are always fun!"

Sportacus slowly walked in, a smile on his face. Excellent. He only had to make one stop, excluding Robbie of course. Young voices could be heard from the living room, some confused and some frustrated. Sportacus tip toed to the wall and peeked into the living room. The children sat in a circle on the floor, books propped open.

"Come on, Stingy!"

"No!"

Ziggy huffed, "Stingy, you can't take claim to something like this!"

Stingy stuck his nose in the air, "Oh yes I can!"

Trixie gawked at him, "Oh yeah? How?"

"Because I WANT IT! It belongs to ME!"

Pixel shook his head, "Stingy, you can't take claim to Pythagorean's theory! You didn't theorize it! Pythagorean did."

"I don't care!"

Stephanie only rolled her eyes.

Sportacus bit back a chuckle. He wasn't going to miss Stingy's obsessed ways of claiming everything. Nor was he gonna miss Trixie's antics or Ziggy's overeating of candy. Shaking his head, Sportacus wandered into the room and stood tall.

"Hello, kids."

They all smiled, "Hi, Sportacus!"

Ziggy pointed at Stingy, "Sportacus! Tell Stingy that he can't have Pythagorean's theory!"

"Stingy, you can't have it."

"But I want it!"

Sportacus sat between Pixel and Trixie, sighing. How was he going to tell them? He hadn't left LazyTown for long periods of time like this. How would they react? Clearing his throat, Sportacus sat up straight.

"Kids, I have something to tell you."

---------------------------

Robbie paged through thousands of old papers. He hadn't looked at these boxes for years. Old receipts, bills, letters…he just needed to find the one paper with all of his personal information on it. Pink and yellow and white papers flew into the air as Robbie tossed each wrong document aside. He stopped when he picked up a white, flimsy sheet.

"Ah, here we are."

The paper had Robbie's address, phone number, everything. Sportacus might want it. Robbie lay it down on the table near his orange, fuzzy chair. The elf never had been to a real city before, let alone a big science facility. Might get homesick. Who knows? Anything is possible.

--------------------------------

"WHAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ziggy ran over to Sportacus, flinging himself at him and toppling Sportacus over. Sportacus grunted in surprise. He held Ziggy as the blond haired boy sniffled. The rest of the children were in a bit of a shock. Sportacus hardly ever left. What if they were in trouble and he was gone? Who was there to save them then?

Trixie dropped her pencil, "Leaving? Where…Where you going?"

"To a city."

Stingy wasn't quite sure what to do, "For how long?"

"Few weeks tops."

Ziggy stomped his foot, "Few weeks too LONG."

Sportacus had expected the sort of reaction to his announcement way before he even started. The kids adored the elf to a high degree, and that was getting dangerous. Sportacus loved the attention and affection he got from the kids. However, they were getting way too clingy to him. The few weeks he'd be gone would be good for them. Maybe they'd learn some independence from him.

"I'm sorry, kids. But this is for a good cause. It's not like I won't be back."

All the kids ran up to him and hugged him, some unable to speak for fear of sobs and one, namely Pixel, who just did to help show affection. Sportacus hugged them all back in comfort. His heart melted over and over again. _I won't be gone that long._

"I will be back. Don't worry."

---------------------------------------

Sportacus paused before the big billboard scratching his head. _I dunno…should I tell him? Should I wait til' I get back? _What would there be to gain if he told Robbie about his feelings for him now? Would there be anything at all? Sportacus felt his stomach turn. Robbie was important to him now. One side of him probed at his mind. _Tell him now. Make Robbie yearn for your homecoming. Make him yours and guarantee yourself something more than a friend and a bunch of nose pickers to come home to. _

Sportacus shook his head. No, telling Robbie now would just make Sportacus feel sicker. It'd mean he'd be more homesick than ever. Robbie would have to learn the truth when Sportacus came home. Opening the door to the pipe, Sportacus hopped in and darted down through the twisted tube. He landed in Robbie's chair upside down, legs thrown up and hanging over his face. Slowly opening his eyes, he squinted as he heard a familiar chuckle.

Robbie tilted his head upside down to match Sportacus's, "Ready?"

Sportacus smiled, "Yeah, let's go!"

---------------------------

There was an awkward silence for a while as Sportacus and Robbie walked to meet Dr. Fuuten at the taxi stop. Sportacus fidgeted often because of it. He wanted to make conversation, but fear of accidentally revealed Sportacus's secret to Robbie kept his mouth shut. His stomach twisted over and over again. What Sportacus really wanted to do was grab Robbie and hug and kiss him to death. But he knew better. He watched Robbie from the corner of his eye. Robbie had a docile smile on his face, his eyes soft with fatigue. _Must be relaxed or something…Maybe glad I'm going._

Sportacus couldn't have been any more wrong than he was. Robbie was deep in thought. His face told a lie. Inside, Robbie was fighting with weird feelings. Hunches came natural to the tall man, and over 90 of the time, they were correct. Robbie always had that instinct that said "This isn't right. Go back. It's not safe." And at particular time, it was lashing at him from all sides, especially when Robbie thought about Sportacus going with his former mentor. Robbie couldn't even bring himself to admit it. No, he wouldn't even try and accept it. A lump welled in Robbie's throat as his eyes swept down to the sports elf. _I hope to God my instincts aren't right…_

They arrived early at the taxi stop. The Doctor was no where to be found, or anyone at that matter. Robbie figured they were all at work, but it had never been so quiet as it was that day. His instincts were slapping his face again from the mere fact of being alone on the street. It was like one of those Western movies with the tumbleweed rolling across the dirt. Eerie, soft, and dead.

Robbie glanced up and down the street, "Guess we'll wait."

Sportacus plopped down onto the bench, taking a deep breath. His pre-homesickness was getting worse by the second and nearly drove him to the point of backing out of his promise. It was hard for the blue elf to even hide the fact he was nervous. His entire body twitched, and he drooled slightly. Sportacus did his best to calm himself. _It's ok. It's ok. It's ok, get a grip!_

Robbie watched Sportacus with pity. He was just like a child going on his first day of summer camp with out his mother. A warm smile spread across his face, and he sat down next to Sportacus, arms propped up on the back rest. He was silent for a moment.

"Nervous?"

Sportacus jumped slightly, "Huh?"

"Are you nervous?"

"Maybe. I've never really been away for longer than maybe 2 days."

Robbie sighed as he pulled out a piece of paper, "Here."

"Eh? What's this?" Sportacus asked as he looked at the paper.

"Things of mine. You know, like a phone number. In case you get really homesick, you know."

Grabbing the piece of paper, Sportacus's frown slowly turned into a warm smile. He read all the numbers and letters on that little sheet and wanted to hug it all the same, like a love letter he had just received from his true love off at war. It even smelled like Robbie.

"Thank you, Robbie."

"Don't mention it."

There was an awkward moment of silence. Robbie stared at the empty street. Dust blew across the vacant street. Sportacus smiled at the paper. All of the information was written in black ink, but already memorized in Sportacus's memory. The paper was at eye height, the paper shining in the sun. This was valuable stuff, and Sportacus sure as hell wasn't going to lose it.

"Have you ever wanted to be a cloud, Sportacus?"

Sportacus snapped out of his trance, "Uh…no."

Robbie was silent.

"Well, do you?"

"All the time."

Sportacus slowly lowered the paper to his lap, "But why?"

Robbie was quiet. He never looked at Sportacus. Sportacus was confused. _A cloud? What's so special about a cloud?_ He looked at Robbie with concern.

"Robbie?"

Robbie looked up at the blue sky, clouds floating, "Well, look at them."

Sportacus raised his eyes to the same blue sheet with white blobs.

"Way up there in the sky. They can see everything up there. Fairs, games, races, crime…Everything. They don't miss the world. They aren't disturbed. Left completely alone by the watchers from below. Slowly and surely, they tweak by in the world. They don't need the pleasures of the common folk. They don't need nor do they want the fancy foods or fancy clothes or fame, glory. Just air, floating lazily under a blue ocean of sky with their counterparts and companions. They can love one another, keep each other company, and live an entire lifetime with each other."

Sportacus remained silent, trying to understand.

"They're free, free to love and be careless. They're free, free from oppression, discrimination, pain, suffering…and when they die, they die peacefully slowly into nothing, knowing that their life was neither well spent or completely wasted. That's what I wish I was, Sportacus. Free. A free cloud that doesn't have to worry about making anyone happy or trying to make a difference." Robbie sighed loudly, "Just watch the world go by, and be free."

Sportacus's eyes fell to Robbie, "But…Robbie, aren't you free already?"

"No."

Sportacus shook his head, "I don't understand."

"I'm not free. My inner feelings and fears keep me incarcerated in the life of an ex-villain, someone trying to adhere to the norms of regular life as presented by the common folk. As time goes by, you begin to become accustomed to the new world, but the more accustomed you get, the more susceptible you are to the emotions and desires of the young and old. Upon time, you begin to slowly know what you want, but what you want is always sociably unacceptable." Robbie tilted his head back up straight and stared at the street, "So you hide what you want, and if successful, fool the entire world. Hiding in the depths of a dark, damn place lies what you want, never to see the light until it is finally able to be sought out."

Sportacus blinked slowly.

"That's why I want to be a cloud: to release my inner desires and not be criticized or even rejected from the world because of it."

Sportacus watched the street, processing all that Robbie had said. Sportacus really didn't understand it. Intellectual topics or looking for deeper meaning in words was not his strength, but he sure as hell tried.

The silence was broken by the sound of a motor coming down the road. Sportacus looked up and saw an old, black car driving towards them. The motor puttered as if it was exerting more power than it should be. The car slowly came to a stop directly in front of Robbie and Sportacus. The rust against the black rims was bright red and little chunks fell as the car's puttering came to a dead silence. Sportacus didn't notice the gold hood ornament in the shape of a man with wings.

The back passenger door flew open, and Dr. Fuuten emerged with a bright smile. His glasses shimmered in the sunlight and he squinted slightly. His eyes quickly caught hold of the blue and purple blurs sitting on the bench, and he smiled.

"Well, there! Fancy this day being so nice, eh? I hope you two haven't been waiting long!"

Robbie grabbed the doctor's hand and shook it, "No, we have not, sir."

"Jolly good, then!" Dr. Fuuten's eyes went to Sportacus, "Well, now, my boy! You ready to be off?"

Sportacus nodded shyly, "Y-yes, sir."

"Well, then! Let's hop to it, lad!"

Dr. Fuuten moved away from the door and made a sweeping motion with his arms. Sportacus smiled nervously. His stomach was turning even more now. He was actually leaving. Sportacus turned to Robbie for one last bit of comfort. Robbie smiled.

"Well, Sportacus…I guess I'll see yo-"

Robbie was interrupted by Sportacus bringing him into a hard hug, slightly shaking from nerves. Sportacus buried his face into Robbie's shirt, and Robbie could swear he heard muffled, quiet sobs coming from the elf. Robbie hugged Sportacus back momentarily and pulled away from him.

"Come now. LazyTown will always be here. Go. And you behave!"

Sportacus smiled, nodding. He turned and slowly walked to the car. Dr. Fuuten walked to the other side of the car and quickly hopped in. Sportacus quickly gave Robbie one last smile before climbing in himself. But once inside, Sportacus continued to watch Robbie through the window, his smile vanished. Robbie continued to smile, for Sportacus's sake, and raised his hand to wave goodbye.

The car slowly began to move, and Sportacus had a tough time keeping his eyes on Robbie and LazyTown. They gradually began to get faster, getting farther and farther away from the bench Sportacus and Robbie had been sitting on. Sportacus turned completely around in his seat, watching as Robbie got smaller and smaller and finally unable to be seen.

In turn, Robbie continued to wave at the car. His smile slowly disappeared as the cloud of dust got smaller and farther away. When nothing was left to be seen, Robbie lowered his arm and continued to watch in the direction Sportacus had gone. He kinda felt empty. His only really good friend in all of LazyTown was now gone for a while with his greatest icon in all of Robbie's life. What was there for Robbie to do?

Robbie sighed heavily. He used to love being lonely. Now, being lonely sucked major. Turning around, he began to slowly walk back to his billboard.

"Hm. He'll be fine."

He could tell himself that, but unnoticed to Robbie's full attention was an aching feeling. His instincts were punching at him from all sides.

_Go get him back. It isn't safe. Go get him back. It isn't safe. You will regret this later. It isn't safe._

Sweat dropped from Robbie's brow down to his chin. _I must have some issues that need to be taken care of._ Robbie walked faster. A nap would do him good right now. He tried to drown out the echoes for the rest of his walk, but to no prevail.

_It isn't safe._

-------------------------

Sportacus sighed loudly as he watched all of the country side pass him by. He missed home greatly already. He missed the kids, the airship, Robbie. _I can do this. It's not going to be that long. Maybe a week or so. Che. I can do this._

"So, my boy."

Sportacus jumped slightly.

"Are you nervous?"

"Well, kinda. It's my first real time away from LazyTown."

Dr. Fuuten waved his hand, "Oh, it'll be all over soon." He glanced out his window and spoke quietly, "All over and forgotten soon…"

"Huh?"

"Just a thought, Sportacus, as I am a doctor and all, but…have you ever given any thought as to _why_ you are as you are?"

Sportacus raised his eyebrows. _Huh? What kind of question is that?_ It indeed confused the sports elf. Why should he wonder why he was what he was? He shouldn't care as long as other people loved him, or that's what Sportacus thought.

"I…don't understand."

"It's quite a simple question, really. Have you ever wondered why you are an elf instead of a human?"

"Well…no, not really."

"Well, why not?"

Sportacus blinked, "Should I have?"

Dr. Fuuten pulled out a pipe and lit it, "Of course you should. It is quite odd, isn't it? How our creator, whoever or whatever deity it was, decided that you, of all the creatures in this world, is the single elf among a colony of humans? I have researched your kind and you all have extraordinary powers. Just think of it. You have the powers to play 'God' with all those around you. Have you not ever wondered what it is to be a god?"

Sportacus shook his head.

"And why is that?"

"Well, I believe that, not matter how much more powerful I am, I shouldn't take advantages of those who I love and love me in return. I don't understand why I or anyone would want to hurt or experiment on those around them. I guess with great power comes great responsibility-"

Dr. Fuuten puffed his pipe, "And do you think your power is so great that responsibility includes practicing it and finding your limits?"

"Well, no not rea-"

"Rubbish. Deep down inside every soul, including pure elves like you, want to exercise their power," Sportacus's eyes drew away from the good Doctor and back out the window as he listened, "and as they do not practice it, the results of restraint are devastating. Potentials are not reached nor realized. People go on without learning their place. New discoveries are never discovered."

The car continued driving. Not another car or truck or vehicle passed them on the road. The eerie feeling of being alone struck Sportacus's heart and he pressed his forehead against the clear window.

The Doctor watched Sportacus with the familiar twinkle in his eye, "No…You will have experienced the feeling of 'God' before your life is done."

* * *

AN  
Oooooo. Creepy, neh?

Anyways, Venom is ALIVE. And actually...so is Creme. But right now, Venom. Yes Yes. Now what is there actually to say about this chapter's beginning?  
Ah, yes. The scene with the kids. Of course, Study Groups are fun, so indeed it was a must. Otherwise...I really didn't have any other excuse for them being in the same place at once...Stingy and Pythagorean's theory. Taking in Stingy's personality, who wouldn't want the Pythagorean theory?? The whole scene is reletively a joke, the calm before the storm of Sportacus's announcement. Neh. I love Robbie. Looking out for his little elf buddy. Actually, Robbie would seem to have taken a big brother role to Sportacus. To me, Sportacus is sorta naive when it comes to the bigger world and Robbie is what I'd call Street Smart. Robbie's little inner instincts just move the idea along.

My favorite part of the whole chapter: The clouds. The cloud bit is something that developed gradually over time, thinking and personal experiences. Back last year, I do remember, I sat outside one summer night. The moon was so bright, you wouldn't need a flashlight to manuever safely around and each star was out. Well, I did this multiple times, but this night was the one that brought upon the idea. It was the night of the second day of the fair and I had recently been recovering from a crush on one of the graduates. I had seen him that night and even got a hug. Problem was I felt sick again with the same little "should I say something" bug I had all that year. I sat out in the grass that night, thinking about many things and what could happen. There was one single, little cloud in the sky. It didn't have a single worry. Just floated on by, seeing what others were doin. Thus, Robbie's theory of clouds was born. It was hard to actually write (One of those moments that you know what you want to say, you just don't know how to say it) and hopefully it made sense. I dunno. I love it. Sums up my feelings.  
"Play God" is something I got from a SciFi movie. I don't remember what it was called, but the movie gave me a lot of inspiration for much of Dr. Fuuten and his story. The books he looks at and all he confiscated from the island is included in the inspiration. They all tie together, playing out much like the movie inspired me to.

I hope you enjoy and review!


	4. Placebos

Robbie sighed in his chair. No matter how much he tried, sleep just wouldn't come. It was scary. Robbie always had been able to sleep, no matter what the conditions. Well, unless there were noisy kids up above on the surface. The nap he had planned on taking just wasn't going to happen apparently, and his insides felt like they were twisting into little knots and being pulverized into piles of mush. Robbie switched positions in his chair. _Come on, you stupid dolt! SLEEP!_

But sleep still didn't come. His ears were ringing with that old, familiar broken record. _It's not safe. He's in trouble._ _Go get him._ Robbie growled, throwing himself off the chair and walking to his bathroom. Turning on the faucet, Robbie began to splash his face with cold water. He rubbed his face thoroughly with each splash and finally opened his eyes after a few rinses, peering at himself in the mirror through his fingers. The echoes were fainter, but still there.

A growl rumbled in his throat again as he turned the water off. Robbie started to walk briskly to the pipe, leaving his face dripping with water. _Fresh Air…now…_

-------------------------------------

Sportacus slowly woke from his nap, having fallen asleep in the car. His eyes drooped heavily and he stared groggily outside. Nothing but green corn fields. His eyes swept over to Dr. Fuuten. The Doctor sat paging through what seemed to be a bunch of notes and illustrations. A smug, strange smile twisted his lips.

"What'cha looking at?"

The Doctor slightly jumped and quickly shut the folder his papers had lain in. Sportacus blinked. It was almost as if Dr. Fuuten didn't want Sportacus to see them. It irritated him in a way.

"Ah. Just…papers. Ya know? Old statistics, essays, and reports from other professors."

"What do they say?"

"Oh they're all about the research you and I will be conducting together."

Sportacus felt awkward suddenly, pulling for conversation, "What do you think of what they have to say?"

"All rubbish if you ask me."

"Why?"

The Doctor fingered the folder, "They just don't seem to know what they're talking about. Humph. I don't think they know what real science is."

Sportacus blinked, "Oh…well…Can I see some? I'm kinda bored."

"No."

"Why?"

"You won't understand the complexity of such things. I will spare you the confusion. Plus, I do not believe you'd be interested at all."

Sportacus snorted mentally, staring at the old man. He seemed to always assume Sportacus didn't know anything, like he was a little kid. Kinda irritating. _Che. Whatever._ Sportacus stared back out the window again.

"How long was I sleeping?"

"About an hour, son."

"We almost there yet?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

Dr. Fuuten glanced at his watch, "Another half hour or so. We must go to the other side of Knaves before we are there."

"Huh? The lab's not in the city."

"No. It's not."

Sportacus sighed again. The sky was getting darker and the clouds began to turn dark shades of blue and black. Right before Sportacus's eyes, rain drops began to sprinkle on the window.

------------------------------------

Robbie walked down the path that was by the big apple tree. The temperature had dropped drastically, almost making Robbie wish he had a jacket. _Weather's changing._ Robbie's eyes glanced farther up the path to see a pink spot on the bench.

Stephanie sat on the bench, writing in her diary. She looked in a daze as she wrote each word rather slowly. Robbie cocked his eyebrow. _I wonder what she's writing about._ The closer he got to her, the more he realized she was shaking. He wasn't sure if it was from the sudden temperature drop or…Little sniffles could be heard as Robbie stopped in front of her. _Crying._

"What's up, pinkie?"

Stephanie nearly dropped her diary in surprise, "Huh? What?"

"You're crying."

Stephanie quickly wiped her eyes on her shoulders, "Am not."

"Don't pull that crap. I'm not an idiot."

She shook her head, "I know."

Robbie sat down beside her. Her voice sounded choked, like she had been crying for a while. It was almost pitiful. He knew what she was crying about. He crossed his legs, folding his hands over the top one.

"Miss Sportacus already, huh?"

Stephanie could only nod.

"He'll be back. He's staying with a good person." Robbie didn't understand it, but his stomach turned as soon as he finished saying it.

"What if he doesn't come back?"

Robbie snorted, "He will. Don't even be pessimistic like that. You're sounding like I used to. Stop."

Stephanie closed her diary as she stared at the ground, "I'm sorry."

Robbie stared at her pink hair. She still sniffled. Robbie sighed. He never was good with kids, let alone being apologized to by one. Usually it was Robbie who needed to apologize, never the other way around.

"If you need something…I dunno what, but if you do…"

Stephanie stopped her sobbing.

"…you can come to me. I'll be there."

Stephanie looked at Robbie with tear filled eyes. Robbie Rotten? Being nice to a child? Never had this happened before. He'd never offer his help to anyone…All this time, she thought he had hated her and the other kids. But now he was offering his help if she needed it. It was odd. Maybe Robbie missed Sportacus already too…maybe he really did like her.

Stephanie scooted up next to Robbie and hugged him, "Thank you, Robbie."

Robbie sat and said nothing, staring out in front of him. Stephanie snuggled into his side and sighed. He smelled kinda nice, like the sweet scent of a candy coated apple. Robbie was warm too. Several moments passed before Robbie nudged her. Stephanie looked up at him.

"Robbie?"

"Go home."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's going to rain."

------------------------------------------------------

Sportacus sighed in an irritated manner. The car ride was getting old. His eyes were focused past the glass of the window, causing them to ache slightly. His blank stare didn't snap until something strange passed his line of vision. _A building._ Sportacus sat up. He hadn't seen any buildings for the longest time, and now more buildings were passing by him.

"Ah. We've finally made it to Knaves."

Sportacus watched with wide eyes as the city started to pass before him. It had popped up out of no where. As Sportacus watched, his nose cringed in disgust. This place was depressing looking.

"Man…this city looks…awful."

There was graffiti everywhere, waste filling the side walks and streets. The people he actually did see were dirty looking, smoking cigarettes or making trades that Sportacus assumed was drug dealing. The rain didn't make it look any better.

"Well, yes, my boy. This city has no police to crack down on things. Every crime imaginable can happen and does happen here."

"Like what?"

"Exactly as you see. Homelessness, drug dealing, pollution, rape-"

Sportacus jumped as he heard a shot down an alley way they passed.

"Murder. Yes, quite a touch neighborhood."

The elf couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. All the bad and evil in the world seemed to have accumulated in this very spot. It was sickening. It was bad enough to make Sportacus want to go home and now.

"Why doesn't anybody do something?"

"No body wants to bother. Keeps other places clean of the filth. It has to go somewhere. Why not just leave it here?"

The rain was coming down harder and lightning flashed in the sky. Thunder rumbled, even shaking the entire vehicle with Sportacus in it occasionally.

"Regular people just playing their role of God again, making a place for the sinners to rot in, they create a perfect, filth free world except for this little bacteria infested hole. They feel satisfied of cleansing the planet." The doctor watched Sportacus from the corner of his eye. _And you will soon feel it too._

The rain was coming down even harder now, accompanied by more lightning and louder thunder than ever before. Sportacus felt nervous. It was a bad storm, bad enough for tornado conditions. The strong wind batted the car back and forth on the road. The car began to slow down until it came to a complete stop.

"Ah, here we are."

Sportacus looked out the window at the dark silhouette that resembled a building. The lightning flashed in the sky, lighting up the ground and revealing the ordinary looking building. Dr. Fuuten opened his door and opened an umbrella.

"Come now. Come."

Opening his door, Sportacus quickly got out of the car and ran under the small canopy in front of the building's door upon shutting the car door. The wind nearly blew him over it was so strong. The doctor joined him, giving his umbrella to Sportacus and whipping out his keys to open the door. Sportacus clung to the umbrella, shivering in the cold. _I wanna go home…_The door finally popped open.

"Ah, here we are." He took his umbrella back from Sportacus and went inside, "Come along, Sportacus. Come, come."

Sportacus quickly complied, shutting the door behind him. The lights came on suddenly, causing Sportacus to shield his eyes so they could better adjust to the brightness. Once he could finally see, Sportacus surveyed the surrounding room. The room was like a hospital lobby, magazines, books and chairs spread around the area with a large front desk with a bell. A wide, swinging door was behind the desk while a hallway was just to the right. The white and gray tile on the floor shimmered in the light.

"So…this is it, huh?"

"Part of it."

Dr. Fuuten took off his rain coat and placed it on a hook near the door, doing the same with his hat soon after. On another nearby hook was a long white coat, in which the Doctor soon grabbed and wrapped around himself. Tugging on the collar, the Doctor smiled and sighed happily.

"Ah yes. There we go. Much better. Now." He turned to Sportacus and gestured to him, "Come along, now. I'll show you to your room."

Dr. Fuuten started down the long, hallway, the sound of his shoes clomping the tile. Sportacus's eyes widened as he cleared his throat and followed. The farther down the hallway they went, more doors popped up, leading into many different rooms. Sportacus's eyes went from side to side, looking at each door as they passed.

"So…Doc…what are all these rooms for?"

"Many different things. Some were supply rooms. Quite a few near the front were quick check up rooms for the subjects that we needed to be in the outside world and come in once a week to see the progress. A few other rooms were offices of fellow scientists and colleagues of mine."

Sportacus stopped when he saw an old sign with a name on it, "What happened to them?"

"All dead."

Sportacus looked at the sign. The rusted letters were odd. They drew the elf's attention so easily and he didn't understand why. Right before his eyes, the letters flashed with a strange light and in his mind he heard a hiss and screams. A green slash came across his vision, and Sportacus shook his head, closing his eyes. When he opened them, the sign was as if nothing happened.

"Sportacus."

Sportacus's eyes slowly rose up the hallway to the doctor.

"Come along. There's nothing interesting here."

With that, Dr. Fuuten continued walking. Sportacus looked back to the sign again with confusion, looking back to the Doctor, then to the sign again. Finally, he slowly started to walk after the Doctor, still watching the sign. Sportacus caught up and walked silently. Dr. Fuuten smiled, but his mind was whizzing away, Sportacus could sense it. _He must be really excited or something. _He too was getting anxious, but with each turn in the hallway, Sportacus also was more and more tempted to go back to that same sign that called to his elf senses, and almost seemed to scream danger.

------------------------

The rain was coming down hard in LazyTown as well, pelting Robbie in the face as he walked down the path to where Sportacus had tied up his ship. Glancing up, Robbie could see the ship was all right, just swaying in the wind. He checked the rope that connected the ship to the cemented hook in the wall. The knot was as tight as ever. Thunder rolled as lightning occasionally lit up the sky.

Pulling his blanket over his head again, Robbie shook his head at the lightning and continued walking home. He felt cold, more so than he actually would be because of the storm. It was almost a lonely cold, like he had no one to share the storm with. During storms, Sportacus usually tied the airship up and came down to Robbie's for a night of p-knuckle or various other card games, eventually developing into a long nap on the floor until the storm was done. Sometimes he didn't, but usually he did.

Scooting down his pipe, Robbie already had the bad omen that his lair had flooded again. Flying into the chair and hearing a squish type sound only confirmed it. Robbie looked at all the water. It came to his ankles and would take at least another day to get rid of. The day before Sportacus left with the good Doctor was spent draining the water away. Robbie sighed. He didn't want to think about Sportacus or Dr. Fuuten at the moment. Robbie noticed that if he didn't think of them, his pains in his stomach and the echoes in his mind wouldn't come back, so he improvised. The water splashed with each step Robbie took. _What do I got to eat that isn't already soaked?_ Opening the highest cupboard, Robbie sighed sadly, seeing a single, small bag of uncooked Ramen noodles. He didn't know why he had them in the first place…but they were there and unable to be eaten at the time.

A noise coming from up above drew his attention away from his hunger. Robbie looked up at the ceiling. The noise was coming from the surface. Slowly, he shut the door, listening carefully. It sounded familiar, someone yelling for help. Robbie waded across his flooding home to his disguise line-up, pulling down his periscope when finally on the soaked platform. He shook his head slightly in what he saw.

Ziggy sat clinging to a tree, trying to rescue his favorite, large lollipop from the tree. Pulling away from the periscope, Robbie rolled his eyes. _Damn kid. Just has to risk his life for the candy._

"He can save himself."

But something tugged at Robbie's heart right after he said it. What if the boy would get seriously hurt? He was only, what? Not even 9 years old? What kind of man would let a young child get hurt because he/she hasn't learned true priorities? And still…What would Sportacus say when he got home? Growling, Robbie pulled on his hooded cape and dashed up and out of the pipe. Once outside, Robbie shielded his face against the sharp rain and ran to the tree Ziggy was attached to.

"Help! Somebody! Anybody!"

Robbie picked Ziggy up under his arms, "It's all right, Ziggy! I got ya!"

Ziggy couldn't believe it, "Robbie? That really you?"

He growled, "Yes. It is, now let's go."

Once Ziggy had a hold of his lollipop, Robbie trudged his way towards Ziggy's neighborhood.

Not a light in any house of LazyTown was on, making the whole place look like a deserted, wet abode. The only sign of life around was the mayor's building, city hall. Stephanie stared out the window with worried eyes. She knew Ziggy was still out there. It was dangerous outside and Ziggy got separated from the group. How could she let that happen? Trixie trotted up next to her.

"Any sign of Ziggy yet?"

"No. I still think we need to go out there!"

Stingy shook his head, "NO! Do you know how bad it is out there?? We could get swept away!"

Stephanie was close to tears, "But we just can't leave him out there!"

Mayor Milford patted her back, saying nothing. Of all the times Sportacus had to leave, it was in a time of danger. Stephanie started to shake, tears threatening to drip from her eyes. She felt horrible, absolutely horrible. Not only was Ziggy out there all alone, but she couldn't do anything about it. A knock was suddenly heard at the door. Mayor Milford jumped, startled, before cautiously walking to the door and turning the knob. He gasped when he saw who it was.

"MR. MAYOR! STEPHANIE! EVERYONE!"

Ziggy darted into the room, hugging anyone in sight. Robbie growled as he watched them all laugh and hug. All that happiness in one room was vaguely disgusting. He never had gotten used to it yet. Ziggy hopped up and down, telling his story about how he rescued his candy.

"And then the lollipop got stuck in the tree! And when I went to get it, I got in trouble myself! But that's when…" Ziggy turned around and smiled at Robbie, "Robbie saved me."

All the children looked up at Robbie, "ROBBIE saved you?"

"Yup!"

Robbie shifted uncomfortably. _Maybe…I should go…yeah…_He turned to leave, but was stopped at his name being called. Stephanie grabbed his hand.

"Robbie"

"What?"

"You should stay here. You won't get wet by your flooded home then!"

Robbie looked at her with fatigue. He didn't feel like arguing. With one final tug on his arm, Robbie gave in and came inside, the door shutting securely behind him as the rain outside continued to pour.

-----------------------------------

"Ah. Here we are."

Dr. Fuuten stopped in front of a beige, normal looking door that, unlike many of the other rooms and doors, had no name tag by it. Sportacus inspected it with his eyes. It looked normal…it seemed normal…Nothing to worry about. _I hope._ Dr. Fuuten opened the door and walked inside the room, stepping aside to let Sportacus in as well. Sportacus surveyed the room once inside. It reminded him of a hospital room without all the medical equipment.

"Please, do forgive me. This is only a temporary room."

Sportacus walked around, "Temporary, huh?"

Dr. Fuuten looked at his watch, "But now, you should sleep, Sportacus. It is quite late."

Sportacus sat on his bed, "Hmm."

The doctor turned and began to walk out of the room, "Good night."

"Hey, Dr.!"

He stopped, "Yes?"

"Why is the room only temporary?"

"Your actual room is in a different wing of the building and unfortunately, it has some final accommodations to be made for you." Sportacus didn't see the greasy smirk that spread on his face, "It's still being cleaned up and tidied from our…last guest and volunteer for research similar to the research you and I will be doing. Sleep well."

Dr. Fuuten quickly shut the door and was gone.

* * *

AN

Ah ha! And Venom strikes again! Not updated as quickly as I originally thought when I updated Creme and posted Warm Fuzzies, but hey. Nobody's perfect. What I kinda like about this chapter is Robbie's sudden sense of responsibility for the kids while Sportacus is away. I dunno why. Maybe it's because he realizes he needs to grow up a little more than he already had. Before, Sportacus did all the saving. But with him gone, Robbie's gotta do it.

For once...I really don't have much to say about this chapter. I'd say something about the ride through the city, but if I did, I'd be giving stuff away to future plot. Oh! How about those dead coworkers, eh? Spooky? Heh heh. When I think of elves and their magic, I always imagine they have some sort of...well "Radar" system, I suppose, that tries to kick in and warn the individual of things to come or danger. GAH. I tell too much.

Read and review! Thanks for all the love!


	5. Resonance

"Hey Robbie

"Hey Robbie!"  
_Annoying brat…_ "What?"  
"Where'd Sportacus go?"  
"You asked that FIVE minutes ago."  
"Yeah, but you didn't give me an answer!"

Robbie looked at Stingy through his fingers over his face. The boy was standing next to Robbie's chair, fingers gripping the soft, cloth arm. Outside, the rain still poured and the thunder rolled like a barrel pushed down a flight of stairs. Robbie's eyes drifted away from Stingy and to the Mayor's couch across the room. Trixie sat on one end, drawing out blue prints for her new sling shot she planned on making. On the other, Ziggy cowered underneath his blanket, the lightning shining in his little eyes. Sleep for the blond haired boy was needed…but it was going to take a long time. Which reminded him, Robbie needed sleep too.

"Robbie?"  
Robbie's eyes slowly wandered back to Stingy.  
"You gonna answer or what?"  
Robbie sighed, "To a city a ways away."  
"What city?"  
"I…Don't…KNOW."  
"…oh…"

With that, Stingy disappeared to the door that led to the basement. Robbie stared after him. City hall was a strange building to have a basement in. Normally, it was a place where only business really was done. Robbie was rather surprised by the couch at first, but the basement was now what surprised him. The basement contained places to sleep and a small kitchen to make things to eat. There was also a TV, more chairs and another couch among other things. Then again, it was understandable the Mayor wanted the room underground. LazyTown was not much of a place for action and city hall was bound to get extremely boring. Robbie didn't blame the poor guy.  
Robbie turned his face to the window next to him. The rain beat on the window in a soft tapping. _Tap, tap, tap. _A little sick turning fluttered in his stomach. The dark clouds with the flashes of lightning were too depressing, even for Robbie. He longed to see the moon. The moon was bright and a white that made it seem so pure. It reminded him of the blue elf. _Tap, tap, tap._  
Robbie couldn't help but wonder if Sportacus was looking out his window, looking at the same dark clouds, looking at the same lightning…looking for the same moon. _Tap, tap, tap._  
Mayor Milford rose from his desk and walked to his small table on the wall with a large plant and box on the surface. After opening the box, he grabbed a large, black disk and placed it inside over a small peg.

"Nothing like a little music to cover the horrible, awful weather outside, hmm?"

The Mayor turned on the record player and placed the needle on the black disk. Classical, instrumental music started to play, much to the disappointment of the children. Groans were heard, but not from Robbie. He continued to look out the window. The music drained into his ears and mixed with the tapping of the rain. _Tap, tap, tap._ Violins harmonized. Pianos were keyed. Drums lightly were played to the beat. And the rain added in a tantalizing rhythm that wouldn't stop.

_Tap, tap, tap…tap, tap, tap…tap, tap, tap…_It was in rhythm with an old, familiar phrase Robbie had heard since the day Sportacus left. _Tap, tap, tap…It's, not, safe…_

--

"_Where am I?"_

_Sportacus looked around him, turning in a circle. He couldn't see a thing. It was so dark in this room, not even an elf could make enough light to see his very own hand. His sharp, pointed ears picked up no sound. No smell either, but the taste of the air was hot and salty, like a tropical, barren island in the middle nowhere. Sportacus cupped his hands around his mouth._

_"What am I doing here?"_

_Nothing._

_"HELLO??"_

_A spot light instantly flared on a few feet away from him. Sportacus's eyes focused to the bright light and stared. There was nothing on the floor, just a gray, dull, hard floor. Sportacus's ears flinched slightly. He picked up the patting sound of little, tiny feet hitting that hard floor. Slowly, a little gecko walked into the spotlight, tongue flicking in and out. Sportacus stared at it. He inched closer to it, furthering his inspection. The gecko didn't move, just stared at Sportacus as the elf made his way to the little lizard._

_Kneeling, Sportacus cupped his hands around the gecko and lifted it up. The scales on its little feet were cold and the claws like little dull needles slightly dug into his soft skin. It watched him closely, scarcely ever blinking. Sportacus looked at him curiously. Why would there be a little gecko, of all the things, in a place like this?_

_"Guess we're both a little lost now, aren't we?"_

_The lizard swiped his tongue over his eye._

_"Hm. Guess you can't talk then, huh?"_

_Sportacus looked up at the source of the spotlight. There was nothing there, almost as if the light came from an invisible bulb. Puzzled, Sportacus cocked his head to the side. Why was he here? Where was he, for that matter? He scowled. No one imprisons an elf…NO ONE. Sportacus knew he had to find a way out. People needed him…People like Stephanie and Pixel and…Robbie…His heart sunk a little. The thought of never seeing Robbie or the kids again struck him with immense pain and sorrow. He could just see LazyTown in his mind. Leaves were green, blue sky, red delicious apples ready to be plucked from the-_

_"Ouch!"_

_Sportacus flinched when he felt little teeth clamp into his skin. Looking at his hands, the gecko sat there, innocent as can be. A little outline of teeth was tattooed on his balm and thumb. Blood slightly trickled from the deepest puncture wound. Sportacus scowled at the little lizard._

_"Well, I don't like you either!"_

_A loud clang took Sportacus's attention from his wound. His head snapped up and his body tensed. He felt uneasy, as if something was watching him, ready to pounce and make the kill. Sportacus felt his pulse quicken. Nervousness was not known to the elf often, but he did know that getting worked up was not going to help him in the situation. In his mind, he recited an old, elfish chant to calm his nerves. He had to focus. Focusing could help him pin point the menace. Closing his eyes and clearing his mind, Sportacus channeled his senses. One single drop of sweat dripped down his face and off his chin. Slowly but surely, the culprit's energy was being located…located to…right…in front of him._

_"Huh?"_

_Sportacus heard a growl that reminded him of a crocodile going for the kill of a water buffalo. Popping his eyes open, Sportacus flinched at the little gecko in his hands. Its eyes had gone blood shot red and its mouth dripped with purple saliva. Suddenly, it hitched back onto its hind legs and with a screech, lunged at Sportacus's face._

_--_

"GAH!"

Sportacus sat straight up in bed, nearly flinging all the covers off of him. Cold sweat beaded down his face and quick, slow pants escaped his trembling lips. His blue eyes darted side to side. He was back in his room, safe and sound. Slowly he began to calm himself, pants starting to lessen. Sportacus trembled. Never before had he ever had a dream such like that in his entire life. It felt almost as if it was a premonition, an omen of things to come.

The elf leaned back on his hands, thinking about what had just happened. Of course, it was all just a dream. Nothing like that could happen, not even here or that one…wretched place. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he sighed. For once, he was almost afraid to go back to sleep, fearing another dream of the same content or worse. But sleep was important and Sportacus knew it.

Lying down on his left side, he blinked at the darkness in front of his face. _I must have sweat a lot more than I thought in that dream. The bed is kind of wet._ The elf nuzzled into his pillow. It didn't matter. He was going to be leaving this room soon anyways. Fatigue tugged at his eyes again and soon he slipped into a restless sleep.

His left hand lay near the edge of the bed. On the underside of the thumb, a puncture mark glistened, and crimson blood slowly dripped from the wound onto the white, pure sheets.

--

Sportacus's eyes fluttered open, the dimness of the room making his eyes slowly focus. The ceiling fan above him slowly turned as Sportacus turned onto his back. His head sunk further into the pillow. He licked his lips, slowly beginning to sit up. As he rose, every bone in his body seemed to scream out and scold him by cracking violently. Sportacus felt groggy, something he had never felt before. It was almost as if the blood decided to stop flowing. His toes tingled and the back of his eyes ached for more sleep. It was a new feeling. He didn't like it.

Sportacus ran his hand over the sheets. They felt different, softer almost, like warm fabric after it had been washed and dried. A little, soft grin tugged his lips at the touch. He liked it. It wasn't like that last night, but he still liked it. The whiteness of the sheets made him think of clouds…then clouds made him think of Robbie. He still wasn't sure what Robbie meant. To be a cloud? Why would that be a good thing? All lonely, sad and full of water…Sportacus frowned and sighed sadly. _I wanna help…_

A knock on his door called Sportacus's attention from his thoughts. After staring at the door for a few moments, Sportacus slowly rose from his bed and walked to the door. Slowly and just barely, he opened it to find Dr. Fuuten

"Good morning, Sportacus! Good to see you up and moving."

Sportacus nodded, "Yes. Good morning." He slowly realized that even if it was morning, he still had no idea what precise time it was. "What time is it, Doctor? There seems to be no clock in here."

"Tis' only nine o' clock in the morning, my boy."

"Oh. I see."

It was a late morning for Sportacus. Usually, he'd be up and going before…what? 7:30? Eight o' clock? No later than eight. Any later would just be silly. Early morning was Sportacus's favorite part of the day for most part. Missing it would, at times, make his day feel incomplete, much like seeing Robbie at least every day had seemed to become a necessity. That necessity wasn't being acquired and wouldn't be for a while. Sportacus nearly whimpered. It had almost become like a drug.

Sportacus felt himself unnoticeably tense up from the doctor's gaze. It gave him an uneasy feeling, like Dr. Fuuten was trying to eat him up or something. The skin on Sportacus's very own bones crawled at the strange sensations. What was going on in the good doctor's head? He didn't know, nor did he think he really wanted to know. Sportacus shifted uncomfortably. _Say something…get his eyes out of that glazed, over trance…_

"Um…doc?"

"Hm?"

"Now what?"

The doctor blinked a few times, shaking his head lightly. He had gotten lost in his own thoughts and mentally, he snarled for have made such a show. _Watch your old self…We don't want to scare him now…no, not yet…_Dr. Fuuten smiled warmly at Sportacus and nodded.

"Well, if you get completely dressed after a nice shower, we have some breakfast to accommodate you, if you'd like!"

Sportacus tilted his head slightly, barely smiling, "Yes. That'd be wonderful."

"Good, good! The bathroom is this door across the hall and once your finished dressing, take a right and walk to the end of the hall. See you in moments, Sportacus, my boy!"

Just as swiftly as he had come, Dr. Fuuten disappeared down the hallway, humming an unfamiliar tune. Sportacus watched him until he was completely gone, the uneasiness looming in the air just as heavy as it had when he was there. A concentrated scowl covered his face and he thought momentarily. His elfin instincts were telling him to be on his complete guard, that something wasn't right. It reminded Sportacus of the many times Robbie had told him about his own instincts, more namely the first time.

_Robbie was leaning against the tree, relaxing in its shade. His arms tucked behind his head in a lounging manner and every muscle in his body relaxed. He usually didn't like being outside with all the fresh air, but by now, he had tolerated it enough to find it relaxing at times. Being lost in his laziness, he didn't notice that Sportacus had followed him._

"_How do you know?"_

_The curiously toned question from the blue elf caused him to pop an eye open, lightly gazing at Sportacus._

"_Hm?"_

"_About the rain, I mean. How do you know it's going to rain? How do you know it's going to be a horrible stor-"_

"_It's not going to be just horrible, it's going to be deadly. You cancel that friggen' soccer tournament of yours and get all those noisy kids to the basement underneath the city hall."_

_Sportacus crossed his arms, "How do I know if you're telling the truth or not? You could be trying to keep the noise down! We all know how you hate noise, Robbie!"_

_Robbie sighed, seeing that his nap that he had planned for wasn't going to happen with Sportakook asking all these questions. However, his body was too relaxed to make any adjustment in his position and Robbie closed both of his eyes to accommodate to his body's demand of rest. _

"_It's no secret to how I know there's a storm coming. Notice how much cooler it's gotten? Rain's coming."_

"_Then what about getting the kids to safety?"_

_Robbie popped an eye open and lowered his face slightly, "Instincts."_

_Sportacus blinked in confusion, unfolding his arms, "Instincts?"_

_Robbie's eye shut again and his head relaxed backwards again, "Yes. My instincts. And my instincts are rarely wrong, especially when it comes to dangerous, harmful things! So I'd listen to me and do as I said."_

"…_I don't get it, Robbie."_

_Robbie sighed, "Get what, Sportacus?"_

_Sportacus laughed nervously, "I mean…instincts! What are those?"_

_Both of Robbie's eyes popped open at the question, "…You…you don't know what instincts are?"_

"_Well, no."_

_Robbie turned slightly, removing his hands from behind his head and to his sides, "You're serious?"_

_Sportacus nearly huffed, "I don't know what they are! Tell me!"_

"_Well, they're like premonitions."_

"_Hm?"_

"_Intuition."_

_Sportacus stroked his mustache slightly, "Huh. How do you get these…instincts?"_

"_You're kidding right?"_

"…_no…"_

_Robbie sighed and folded his arms over his chest, "Well, what do your elf people have that make them suspicious of something?"_

_Sportacus thought for a moment, "Hm? Well, we called something like that a sixth sense or Elfin Insight."_

"_They're all synonyms for each other, Sportacus…"_

"_Syn-a-wha?"_

"_Forget it."_

_Sportacus sat watching Robbie as he thought. Robbie hated the fact that the elf was so gullible. It made it hard to explain the simplest things to him. It was already a headache to try and convince him of the notion of instincts, but he was in no mood to explain something as simple as a synonym. Nuh uh. No way. After a few minutes, Robbie cracked his neck and closed his eyes momentarily, leaning back against the tree again._

"_Instincts basically are the sixth sense. They can be a nuisance or a savior. They sometimes give you a good idea of what the right answer is, what an outcome will be, and warn you of things to come, good or bad. I've come to trust my instincts when it comes to things like this. They're hardly EVER wrong."_

"_Huh. So you're serious about this bad storm thing, huh?"_

_Robbie huffed, "Of course. I told you, my instincts are HARDLY ever wrong."_

Sportacus was glad he had listened to Robbie. That very afternoon, storm clouds darkened the skies of LazyTown and it hailed heavily with the rain. A tornado was reported on the radio to nearly touch down on the other side of town.

And what Sportacus now understood of these instincts, they came at the slightest chance of danger. But then again, it could possibly be nerves. Sportacus was slightly homesick. Being in a new area that he wasn't used to had always gotten to the elf before, though not this bad. Sportacus shook his head. _Come on. Get your act together._ And so Sportacus disappeared back into his room before getting to the bathroom for a nice warm shower.

--

Sportacus sat at the table eating his sports candy slowly. The room in which Dr. Fuuten had placed him in for breakfast wasn't the most interesting or welcoming room the elf had been in. The walls were bland with nothing but a large, framed periodic table of elements. It wasn't a large room either, and yet, a large chair with a stand with magazines and newspapers was tucked into the corner with a small dining table and two good sized kitchen chairs. The colors matched, anyways. But the only thing Sportacus really found interesting was the view outside the single window. The view had what looked like a park with a large, man-made lake or pond in the middle, surrounded by trees.

Leaning on the table and propping his head up on his hand, Sportacus sighed. Homesickness had fully embedded itself in him and a wave of loneliness overtook him. He wanted to go out and dance with Stephanie. He wanted to design new playgrounds and sports fields with Pixel, he wanted to do something with somebody…He wanted to tell Robbie about his strange feelings for the tall dark man. Sportacus wanted it all and it all had to do with home. The elf was so caught up in his loneliness, he didn't hear the door open behind him.

"Finished eating?"

Sportacus jumped, "Uh…oh yes! Very good, thank you."

Dr. Fuuten clicked his pen, "Something wrong, my boy?"

"No."

"May I trust you or shall I probe you further?"

Sportacus looked away. That uncomfortable feeling was coming back. "Well…I guess I'm just a little homesick. I've never been this far from LazyTown for as long as I'm going to be."

A flicker, missed by Sportacus, shined briefly in Dr. Fuuten's eye, "You may write letters, Sportacus. There is no harm in such activity."

Sportacus brightened. That was a fantastic idea, one that he was already prepared for. The elf had gotten so caught up in homesickness and his elfin senses he had forgotten he had packed some paper and envelopes. He had Robbie's address, so he could send him letters and send letters to Robbie that were for the kids. This could also let him discuss with Robbie the strange feelings he's been having about being in that strange place…and further ask him about the good doctor.

"That'd be great, Doctor!"

--

It didn't take long for Sportacus to write a letter to Robbie. Really, there wasn't that much to talk about, but Sportacus wanted to know what Robbie thought about a few things. His strange dream with the lizard, the disgusting city he drove through, and Dr. Fuuten's theory he gave on the way there…about playing God. But Sportacus knew he had to be careful on his word choice. The doctor was important to Robbie, so he couldn't sound like he was being judgmental in a highly criticizing way, but he couldn't pretend that he felt…well, safe with him either. Sportacus shook slightly. One wrong move and he could lose Robbie because of it, and that was the last thing Sportacus needed at the moment.

Finally, the blue elf stuck the letter into the envelope and sealed it, writing Robbie's address on the middle and the lab's address on the top corner. _Maybe Robbie could visit!_

"Quite finished?"

Sportacus nodded, "Yes."

Dr. Fuuten took the letter from Sportacus, "Right then. It will be mailed now. A postman has been waiting with my own mail to send so he may take yours as well."

Following the doctor, Sportacus hummed a tune was he and the doctor walked to the front lobby and dropped the letter into the hands of a waiting postman. The postman bowed in thanks and walked out to his van, driving off. Sportacus watched him as he did, making sure he was going in the direction of LazyTown. A sigh of relief came when the vehicle was indeed going that way.

"Come with me, my boy. We start today."

Sportacus looked at the doctor, a sudden wave of anxiousness washing over him. He nodded, once again following Dr. Fuuten back down the hall. His eyes couldn't help himself as they watched each doorway as he passed them. He remembered what the doctor had told him about past colleagues that used to reside in them. _All Dead._ Inaudible screams filled Sportacus's sharp ears as he passed each door, some the screams of men, others of women, and others of children. Sportacus's own heart trembled at the echoes of screaming. _My mind must be playing tricks on me…_

After walking for a few minutes down the long hall, the two stopped in front of a large door at the end of the hallway. Pressing a numbered pad, Dr. Fuuten typed in the password to get into the concealed room. Sportacus gulped quietly. It was time to do what he was there to do. And it was going to be simple. But why was he getting so damn anxious about it? A loud click and the sound of an exhaust blast burst from the door as it suddenly opened, sliding into the wall.

"Come now. Come."

Dr. Fuuten disappeared into the darkness. No lights flickered on. The only lights that could be seen were the little specs of machinery equipment buttons and things. Cautiously, Sportacus walked in. The air was heavy and warm with a tint of moisture. The smell was indescribable to Sportacus, being that it smelt like any other lab he had visited. But something about the place all of the sudden made his skin crawl and cry out to run away. A long string of lights overhead came on, one by one, illuminating the darkness. Sportacus still couldn't see much, but at least now he could see Dr. Fuuten and where he was going.

They continued walking down the string of lights. Tanks of water lined each side of the pathway, the occasional sound of bubbles filling the air. Dim lights shined behind the glass, creating a silhouette of what the glass contained. Sportacus flinched as each container had something stranger and creepier than the last. Deformed creatures of unknown proportion when from somewhat recognizable to not even being able to have the slightest trait they used to have.

"What…what are they?"

"They're all test subjects. Animals those were doomed to die a miserable death. Why not use them and give them a miraculous purpose so that their death was not in vain?"

Sportacus looked at the next tank, "Doesn't look real miraculous."

"Looks can be deceiving."

Sportacus scrunched his nose at the contents of the tank. The creature inside was totally deformed, almost unrecognizable. He knew that it had to be some sort of primate, but really he couldn't tell. But there was something about this one that drew Sportacus to it. Something unnatural…something calling for him…Something calling from the dead. Sportacus heard faint whispers as he stared at the creature. The harder he stared, the louder the whispers became. _Claw and fang, claw and fang…death, death, death…You will be with us soon. It will get you, yes. Claw and fang, lab rat, claw and fang…_Sportacus's eyes widened as sudden visions passed through his mind. Green liquids, syringes, a body jerking about. Lightning flashed and rain hit the metal floors of what seemed to be an experimental room. _Tap, Tap, Tap..._Sweat dropped down Sportacus's face and the whispers were soon drowned out by a screech of some creature and screams of people. _Lab rat, lab rat, death will get you soon...Tap, tap, tap...Hey, Lab Rat...IT WILL GET YOU SOON._

A quick flash of shimmering teeth flashed through the elf's mind and the creature in the tank suddenly grew large claws, growled and lunged at him, causing Sportacus to jerk his head back violently. The sudden movement caused all the voices and visions to stop. Sportacus shook slightly, shaking his head and looking back and the test subject in the tank. It remained in its original state, doubled over and wrinkled. Sportacus's mind was racing at uncontrollable speeds. What did it all mean? What was it? The elf whipped his head around to look at Dr. Fuuten. He was standing at a table with minor medical equipment and clip boards. The lack of interest or reaction from the doctor only confirmed what Sportacus could fear: the visions and sounds were all premonitions, just as Robbie had told him.

Sportacus could feel himself get hotter. It was almost as if the entire room's temperature had gone up twenty degrees. The air got thicker and he panted quietly. The visions he had just received made Sportacus nervous, being that he wasn't sure if he could trust them or not. Because he was lost in his own thoughts and fears, Sportacus didn't hear the foot steps in the background.

Suddenly, Sportacus felt a sharp pain in the back of the left side of his neck. Everything around Sportacus closed in on him.

And soon, complete darkness.

* * *

AN  
Heeeyyyyy. I finally got it up! It wasn't that I was too lazy for this one, guys...I was just too busy. XP Sorry bout that. Now they all should be updated and I can continue my expertise. (Note: for my DA watchers and those who are probing me to update Hunt, don't worry. On the week of June 1-7, I will have 4 days in which I can basically do nothing but write. I plan on writing the next chapter of Hunt as well as the other fics during that time. Until then, I'm concentrating on Venom, Creme, and Fuzzies.)

So not a lot of Robbie in this one, which is okay. That'll be the case for quite a few chapters in the future I'm figuring. But I've got the ending to this story all planned out already, and trust me...Robbie's got it goin' on. I found myself as I was writing this chapter thinking that I had totally slowed down the story's pace, but then found myself thinking I was rushing it. Damn it all. I couldn't decide. Rushing because there was something I wanted in this chapter that didn't get in, too slow because we weren't getting to really great stuff yet. But now that I look at it and look at the stuff I already have down for the next chapter (basic chapter events and scenes), I find this chapter does justice on its own.

The "Tap, tap, tap" chant in Sportacus's vision IS indeed a connection back to Robbie and the storm. Sportacus's is meant to bring the interpretation of Robbie's "Tap, tap, tap...It's not safe." Then it turns into more of a taunting. I will explain no more on this as to not ruin it. :3

Am I evil? Damn right I am.

For the life of me, I still can't remember the name of the sci fi movie that inspired much of this entire story. Ah well. Doesn't matter.

Enjoy! Lots of love!  
Kami-chan


	6. Autonomy

Stephanie opened the curtains to the window and smiled

Stephanie opened the curtains to the window and smiled. It had officially stopped raining and the sun was shining brightly that morning. The large puddles of water that filled the street begged to be jumped and played in. She giggled as she thought of Sportacus when he told her of how he loved jumping in puddles. Of course, she didn't like doing that, but going out to just play would be great. She knew she'd be the only one up for a long time, so reading would almost have to suffice her at the moment.

Picking up her book, Stephanie hummed to herself quietly, turning to the spot she had left off. Each page she read made her more excited, and the more excited she got, the antsier she became to go outside. Stephanie was getting so excited the outside world outside her mind was unnoticed. That didn't matter anyways. There was no one to talk to at this time of morning. It was safe to say they'd all be sleeping for the next couple hours. The click of the door to the basement said otherwise.

"Hrm. What are you doing up so early, pinkie?"

Stephanie recognized that voice and grinned curiously in the direction of the dark figure stretching and cracking a tired body.

"Good morning to you too, Robbie!"

The response she got was a muffled snort and she giggled. Stephanie knew exactly what the cranky master of disguise needed and she placed her book on the chair she was sitting in to go to the kitchen.

Robbie continued to wake his lanky body up, "What're you doing up so early?"

"It's 7:30. It's not that early!"

Robbie's ears picked up the clanking sounds of cups being taken out of the cupboard, causing him to snort in near dissatisfaction. Coffee. He didn't hate it, but he didn't like it. Caffeine. It was the anti-sleep. Robbie was against the anti-sleep, more so the anti-anti-sleep. It then occurred to the tall man the pink sprite would be having some too if two cups were being used. He shook his head. Coffee wasn't an old person's drink anymore. Robbie wasn't going to be surprised if coffee became the new soda to some of these kids, and it made him cringe.

Robbie slowly made his way over to the couch, plopping on it tiredly as Stephanie continued making them coffee. His weary eyes surveyed the dark area and his sharp eyes identified Stephanie's book on the chair across from him. Robbie wasn't much of a reader, but he did take interest in books from time to time. Against his body's protests, Robbie hauled himself up and walked to the chair, grabbing the book and looking at the cover. An eye brow rose questioningly as he read the title.

"The Odyssey?"

Stephanie looked up from the coffee pot, "Hm?"

"You're reading The Odyssey?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

Robbie paged through the book with his thumb, "Aren't you a little..well, young to read this?"

Stephanie brought over two cups of coffee and placed them on the little table next to the couch. Smiling happily, she turned and gently grabbed the book from Robbie, paging through it herself.

"Oh no! It's a wonderful story! It's the story of Odysseus and his travels and-"

"I've read the book, Pinkie. Now tell me why such a youngster like you would take such an interest in such a complex story like one of Homer's?"

She closed the book and hugged it to her chest, "Because of all the romance and all the tests of faith and…and ALL SORTS OF STUFF. Besides, Odysseus is really cool! He's so smart and cunning and-"

Robbie snorted, sitting down and grabbing his coffee, "Arrogant."

She looked at him confusingly, "Huh?"

"Odysseus is an arrogant bastard."

"He is not!"

Robbie took a sip of his coffee and sighed. Obviously, for as mature as Stephanie thought she was, she missed quite a bit of obvious information that makes half the story. The cup made a clinking noise as he put it down again and he sighed in an irritated way. It was way too early to explain things to a child, but seeing as how he dug himself into a hole, he figured he couldn't go back on it.

"I told you you're too young for this book. You've missed a crucial fact. If you're even _reading_ it you'd realize the kind of arrogant bastard he is. But instead you're all over the happy, romantic qualities that make him look like the perfect hero."

Stephanie huffed, "Oh yeah? Have you even read it?"

"Of course. Required reading at the University."

"And how would you define his so called 'arrogance.'"

Robbie snorted, "Oh please. If you're actually reading it, you'd know. But because I'm a good, handsome guy, I'll tell you."

Stephanie picked up her cup and sipped it, curling up on the couch. _This should be good. Robbie's never good with remembering things with books_. Robbie stretched once more before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"Seeing how far you are in that, you've passed the Cyclopes part. Typical hero thing goes on: Gets captured, in the face of death, trickery, escapes, yadda, yadda, yadda. But once on his ship, he arrogantly shouts his true identity and basically flaunts himself as some unstoppable force, even for the mightiest of foes…even Gods. He thought he was so great that even though he was so called "faithful" to his wife, he slept with Cerce among lots of other women because he thought he was that great. Should I continue?"

Stephanie cocked her head to the side, "So…basically…he thought-"

"That he was basically a God or better. Yes. Arrogant."

She sighed, "Oh…"

"It's a good story, I'm not going to lie," he took a sip of his coffee. "But anyone who tries to take the title of God and think that they can control everything and do anything because of they're so called 'greatness' just because they can is an arrogant prick."

Stephanie was quiet.

Robbie looked at her, then sighed mentally, "But that doesn't mean you can't love him as a character anyways. Hell, why do you think Sportacus and you kids like me? I'm arrogant and stupid all the time."

Stephanie looked up at him and smiled, "Thanks, Robbie."

"What can I say? I am amazing like that, aren't I?"

--

Bright lights and the smell of betadine filled Sportacus's senses like a needle pierced through skin. Dizziness overtook him and made him incapable for perception. His eyes slid open and closed over and over again, each time revealing bright light and dark silhouettes. His ears twitched at the sounds of soft clanks and snips. He felt nothing, as if he was a log in the woods. The world spun around him, and his head turned from side to side trying to follow the flow. Sportacus tried his best to open his mouth to speak, but a small prick in his arm pushed all the air out of him and he slowly became engulfed in darkness once again.

--

"Keh, keh, heh, heh…so the mastar's found new blood. In all the world this poor soul could have traveled, its picked here. Very, very nastay choice. He will regrets it soon, yes, yes…"

--

Sportacus's eyes slowly opened, wincing slightly at the bright light above him. He couldn't see much. His vision was fuzzy and his head felt dizzy still. All that Sportacus could really make out above him besides the bright light was a slowly turning ceiling fan. Sportacus shut his eyes again and tried to move, but found his body, for some reason, utterly useless. He couldn't move his legs and his fingers hardly could twitch, but of what he could move brought aches and pains that he normally wouldn't have…or shouldn't have at that matter. He opened his eyes half way again, the blur not going away.

The elf couldn't help but think about what he had experienced earlier. It had seemed as if he had kept slipping in and out of consciousness. After really thinking about it, Sportacus nearly concluded that it all had been a strange dream. He's had some of those dreams before, the ones that seem so real you thought it was real. But Sportacus had some part of him that screamed the "dream" had been real, but he dismissed it. Sportacus groaned out loud, forcing air out of his lungs. His body was starting to wake up and move and his vision got less and less blurry. As his eyes focused, Sportacus raised his head slightly to explore his surroundings. It was a new room, like one you'd find at a hospital, only slightly different.

His throat burned slightly and his voice was hoarse, but that didn't stop him from speaking, even if he was alone.

"Where…w-where am I?"

When no response came, he called again.

"Why am I in here?"

"Oh! You're awake!"

Sportacus turned his head to the side and Dr. Fuuten walked in, smiling a smile that dripped with honey. The doctor walked to the side of Sportacus's bed. He was holding a clipboard and a pen hung behind the old man's ear.

"I was afraid for a while there you weren't going to wake up so easily."

"How long have I been out?"

"Couple days, actually."

"What happened?"

"You fainted and when you fell, you hit something that left a gash in your arm. More importantly, you hit your head as well, so you'll feel a little funny for a while." A little spark entered his eye, "Well, how _do_ you feel right now?"

Sportacus slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, "Disorientated…a little sore."

Dr. Fuuten wrote things down in his clip board, "MmHm. MmHm. Kay."

"Stiff…"

"Hm."

The doctor wrote some more down on his clip board. He seemed to be contemplating something, which Sportacus took as contemplation of how to treat the elf. After a few moments, Dr. Fuuten pushed his pen back into his pocket and looked up at Sportacus.

"Well, I'm going to give you something that should take that all away in a few hours."

"Mmmkay…"

The doctor turned to go, "Good. I'll be right back."

"Hey, Doc!"

"Hm?"

"Can…can I write another letter?"

--

Robbie kicked a rock on the way back to his lair. He was NOT looking forward to pumping out all the water he knew would be down there. Drains and pipe lines needed to be installed and Robbie decided that would be his next project for a long while. Sure, it'd be easier just to buy a regular home above ground, but Robbie snorted at the idea of living in the sun light. Too healthy…and sun light meant kids outside. Too annoying. The underground lair was an escape and he wanted to keep it that way.

Looking up the road, Robbie spotted the mail man. A jittery, lanky thing the mail man of LazyTown was. He always seemed nervous and twitched a lot. No one really knew why this was. Some assumed it was because he didn't know anyone in town and was afraid to get things wrong. Others assumed it was a speech impediment. Robbie figured it was because he was a spineless idiot. He had no sympathy for the mail man. Grow a bit of back bone and walk tall instead of hunched over like a beaten dog, no matter how scared or nervous you were. Robbie learned that the hard way through his life at LazyTown and adjusted. The mail man could do the same. Again, no sympathy from the master of disguise.

Robbie sighed as he was about to walk past the mail man. _Might as well be 'nice' for once._

"Need some help?"

The mail man jumped, squeaking, "Y-y-y-yes sir! I c-c-c-can't find the address l-l-l-listed."

Robbie mentally scowled. _Do I look that scary?_ "Who's it for?"

"I don't….I don't think I c-c-c-c-can tell you that."

"Why not?"

"P-p-privacy issues…"

Robbie huffed, "You want help or not?"

The mail man clutched the letter tightly, "Well…yeah, b-but-"

"If ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd all have a successful candy store, now tell me."

"A R-R-Robbie Rotten."

Robbie blinked in surprise. He hadn't gotten mail for a long time, so long that the post office actually forgot his address existed, leading to potentially confused mail carriers. Robbie held his hand out.

"That's me!"

The mail man sighed, "Oh okay, good." He shoved the letter into Robbie's hands, "Okay, buh bye now!"

"Yeah, thanks."

The mail man turned heals and briskly walked away reaching into his bag for more letters, shaking all the more. Robbie just shook his head. _Weirdo._ His eyes slowly lowered from the disappearing man to the letter he held in his hands. He couldn't figure out who would actually send him a letter. His family members seemed to want nothing to do with him and to Hell if Robbie knew where any of them were. Not that he cared, anyways.

Robbie briskly walked the rest of the way home, fumbling with the hatch to his lair slightly. Zooming down the pipes and flying into his big, orange, fuzzy chair, he grunted, feeling a sharp pain in his rear. Reaching under, Robbie pulled out an old screw driver he figured he had been fumbling with a couple nights before. Throwing it to the side, he ripped open the envelope and pulled open the letter. The familiar, musky scent that was all over the paper told Robbie who it was from.

"He's already that home sick, huh?"

Robbie sighed, putting the envelope on his little table next to his chair. His body slouched in his chair, his eyes scanning the pieces of paper as he read.

_Dear Robbie,_

_How are you? I miss you a lot already. I've only been gone for something like a day or so and I've already got some things that I'm confused about! I don't understand it. On the way to the research facility, we went through a horrible town! It was awful Robbie! The place was dirty, people committing crimes everywhere and other horrible stuff! Dr. Fuuten said it was because no body wanted to deal with the problems so they dumped all the bad people here and they continue to do bad things! Why do they do that, Robbie? I don't understand what he means when he says that they are playing a role of God. What's that mean? I just don't understand._

_I had a weird dream last night. I was in a dark place and it was hot and sticky. But then there was a lizard and it attacked me! It made me feel…really uneasy. What do you think? I haven't come in contact with any sort of weird animal like that. The eyes were really scary and its hiss turned into some sort of roar. Remember when you taught me about instincts? Those thingies started to kick in. Like…they're telling me to be extra careful. But I'm sure I'll be okay. I'm with Dr. Fuuten after all. He'll protect me just like he protected you! Maybe I'm just nervous of being in such a new place. Maybe I'm just shaken up by that horrible city. I hope to never see that place again after this experience. This research facility is kinda weird. Dr. Fuuten doesn't have anyone else here helping him. I asked him what happened to all of them and he said they were all dead! I wonder what happened. I'd think it'd get pretty lonely without anyone around here. _

_Dr. Fuuten says we'll be starting our research today, so I don't have much more time to write this. He says I can write you whenever I want! Isn't that great? You could even come visit-well…I guess I didn't ask if you could or not, but I'd think it'd be okay! I'm sure he'd like to see you again! Maybe you could help! That'd be great! I'll send you another letter soon!_

_Lots of love!_

_Sportacus_

Robbie shook his head. 'Lots of love.' You don't hear that said by one man to another every day. He snickered. Then again, it's Sportacus. This is the same adult elf that likes to jump in mud puddles and play with children all day.

His eyes went back up to the earlier content of the letter. That city Sportacus described was nothing new to Robbie. Robbie knew all too well about Knaves. It was a disgusting city, Robbie didn't disagree there. But he knew Sportacus didn't even see the beginning of the city's horrible state. Robbie knew from multiple experiences there, a few he didn't exactly want to recall. He did, however, remember quite well and quite graphically a few things he witnessed while on a few errands. One that he wished he could erase was when he was about 13. Robbie had to hide in a cupboard and watched out a little knot hole as a group of wannabe gangsters group raped a woman and her daughter while the woman's husband and 3 other sons watched. In the end, the bad guys lined them up against the wall and shot each one with a pistol. Robbie still had nights where he was startled awake by the blood curdling screams that pierced his ears that night.

Shaking his head free of the memory, Robbie returned his attention to Sportacus's letter. The dream didn't quite confuse Robbie. He was sure it was fear of being far from home, then having the city of Knaves between him and LazyTown. _Not much to think about that._ The idea of Robbie visiting wasn't something that Robbie hadn't thought of. He thought it'd be cool to go down and see the facility and help. It wasn't like Robbie was currently tied down. But the sounds of dripping from Robbie's pipes made him snarl slightly. He'd have to fix the plumping in the place first. _Drip. Drip._

He threw the letter onto the table and rubbed his forehead. Some other day though. Robbie was way too tired to go anywhere. Sportacus's insecurities should be gone after a few days there and those were the days he would go see him. Robbie rested his head back and soon sleep tugged at his eyes and he fell into restless sleep that was plagued by the dripping of the pipes. _Drip. Drip._

_Drip. Drip._

_Go. Now._

One final drip was heard, and what Robbie didn't see was the final drop of water falling from the pipe, slowly turning a deep red of blood before splattering across the floor.

--

A sharp pain shot through Sportacus's entire body, causing the elf to stir from his deep sleep. His eyes shot open, and he groaned loudly. It wasn't just a whole body ache that could go away with a couple of pain killers. This was pain that would make the strongest, most tolerant men cry, and Sportacus knew he needed Dr. Fuuten.

"Dr. Fuuten!"

No response.

"Dr. Fuuten! Dr. Fuuten, PLEASE!"

The pain was getting unbearable for Sportacus. It was as if someone was holding a piping hot stake against him firmly all over his body and inside it. The elf thrashed in his bed, not hearing the door open quickly as the doctor finally came in.

"Sportacus! What's wrong?"

The response he got was a held back grunt that turned into whimpered squeaks as Sportacus thrashed. The violent jerks of his body threatened to get worse, and Dr. Fuuten ran to the medical drawers on the back end of the room, quickly pulling out a syringe and bottle of liquid. He filled the syringe with a large dose of the medicine and ran back to the elf.

"Sportacus, you must hold still for a minute! This will help you! Just hold still!"

Sportacus tried his best to stop moving, but the pain was unbearable. He stopped moving just enough for Dr. Fuuten to brace down Sportacus's arm and stick the needle in, pushing the medicine in with it. Sportacus jerked about momentarily before his body started to feel fuzzy and inert. Dr. Fuuten extracted the needle and threw it in the trash, watching the elf closely. With a sigh escaping his lips, Sportacus's eye lids drooped half closed and after a second of defiance, fully shut, putting him back into darkness.

--

"Welcome to my world, bitch."

* * *

AN  
Not gonna lie. I borrowed that last line from Freddy vs. Jason. Horrible movie...but I liked the line. ;D

Who said it, you ask? Not gonna tell you. D; I will say though that a lot of this chapter was rewritten upon already being written because of a great idea I had. Oh it will be good...oh it so will.

I will say this now: I have not read the full Odyssey, but I did remember what such an arrogant bastard he was. It was so long ago since those stupid High school literature books that had major pieces from the story for study and I remembered distinctly the Cyclops part among others. But the idea of Steph reading the Odyssey doesn't/wouldn't surprise me if it happened.

Anyways. Enjoy!


	7. Anesthesia

_"Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake up from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world, and the real one?" __- Morphius from The Matrix_

Dr. Fuuten quietly walked back into Sportacus's room. The elf was still deep in his drug induced slumber and would be for some time longer. The doctor had been monitoring Sportacus's vital signs regularly for the last 5 hours, noting his findings on a clip board. But this time, he wasn't just there for the update on the elf's vital signs. No, he was there for a little more.

As silent as a snake slithering through grass, the doctor approached Sportacus's bed and placed his bag on the movable table beside him. Opening it, he extracted a plastic container with a small, cold thermos. The thermos opened with a pop and cold frost floated into the air before disappearing. Reaching inside, Dr. Fuuten extracted a long syringe. He tapped it lightly with his fingers, turning to the sleeping elf. A rough, cold hand slipped under Sportacus's arm and extended it. Slowly, the needle of the syringe eased into Sportacus's veins and red, crimson blood began to fill the vial. Once full, the needle slipped out of the strong arm and Dr. Fuuten quickly placed the vial into the cold thermos.

Next out of the bag, Dr. Fuuten extracted a small case and a razor. Slowly and softly, he scraped the skin on Sportacus's arms and placed the skin flakes into the small case. A grin slipped across his face as he watched the flakes settle in the case. The case shut tight with a click and it was quickly placed back into the bag.

And just as quickly and quietly as he had entered, the good doctor was gone.

--

If there was one thing Sportacus knew for sure, it was he knew he wasn't in the same place as before. Where he had been looked normal with a weary gloom hanging in the air. Now, there was just a weary gloom without an actual place. Sportacus looked around the vast, whitish-gray area he was in. Waking up in such a place disturbed him slightly, but like a true hero, he gathered his nerves and calmed himself.

It wasn't the fact that Sportacus was now in another new place that made him uneasy. It was the emptiness. There was nothing to be seen in this place. No building, no plants, no sky. Nothing. It was an empty void with nothing on the horizon. The temperature was a tolerable warmth, but occasionally, he could feel a cold breeze that sent shivers down his spine and body. Sportacus scanned the area all around him. No life could be seen or even sensed. _Well, never hurts to try…_

Sportacus cupped his hands over his mouth, "Hello?"

His voiced echoed back to him, but no new response.

"Anyone here??"

When nothing, but his echo responded, Sportacus sighed. This was just perfect. First thing he knew, he was lying in a bed, just being given something to help his indescribable pain and in the blink of an eye he was in this strange place. The elf scratched his head. Maybe it all was a dream. Then again…maybe it was all real. But Sportacus ruled the possibility of it being real out for the sole purpose that _nothing_ could be this strange and be real. Bessie once told him that everything in the world that was true could be explained somehow, and there was no way in an elf's fruit basket these phenomenons were explainable.

The problem with the theory, from what Sportacus could see, was the pain he just suffered. Robbie once told him about people having dreams where they thought they felt pain, but really, they didn't and nothing physically pain inflicting happened. Sportacus thought that it was a possibility, but this pain wasn't just real…it was too real. What made it more complicated was Dr. Fuuten making the pain go away. If all of this was a dream, Dr. Fuuten would be a figment of the elf's imagination, and any moment, Sportacus would be waking up in his bed in his air ship.

It was all so complicated, Sportacus's head started to hurt from thinking so much. Shaking his head, he stretched and let out a semi-frustrated sigh. First things were first. He had to figure out where he was and why, which then led to how he was going to get out. Sportacus placed his hands on his hips, surveying his surroundings again. First thing Sportacus thought of to do was maybe walk around; see if maybe there was something around, it was only cloaked in some sort of camouflage. And being that it seemed to be Sportacus's only option at the time, that's what he decided to do.

Instead of walking, however, Sportacus ran. The sounds of his feet hitting the ground rapidly echoed through out the vast, empty void, and the faster he ran, the louder it became. While he ran, the elf's eyes scanned the area, looking for anything that might resemble some sign of life. Though he didn't see anything, Sportacus did notice one thing: The air got thicker and muggy. What would normally be an easy run for Sportacus to make now turned quickly into a huffing, panting, hot trial of muscles. Sportacus started to slow, trying to make it easier to breathe. He finally came to a stop, bending over and placing his hands on his knees as he panted. Sportacus didn't understand it. How was it possible for such an area to change climates so quickly and for seemingly, no reason? The question got even more attention when the climate of the area returned to its tolerable, rather cool self again.

Looking up, Sportacus still saw nothing. In frustration, the elf sat on the ground, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes to think. This place didn't make sense, his fatigue didn't make sense…hell, NOTHING made sense. If only Robbie were here to-

"You sure didn't make it veray far."

Sportacus's eyes popped open quickly than a popping kernel of popcorn as the voice bellowed behind him, and he sprung up onto his feet, turning fully around to see the source. As soon as Sportacus laid eyes on the voice's owner, a pang of sudden, unexplainable dread washed down his body. The creature's back was to him, slumped over as it crouched on the ground. It was deathly thin and its bones were easily seen in many places. A thin piece of cloth covered its rear and its skin was a pale blue covered with dirt. Its large feet kept the thin body balanced as it seemingly examined something in its hands.

The creature spoke slowly, the voice hoarse, low and slightly nasally, "One would think that such a strong man would make it farthar than you did."

Sportacus watched its back, "Where...Where did you come from?"

"I've always been here. You've just failed to notice."

Sportacus wasn't really sure if he should introduce himself, but he did to be polite, "Forgive me. My name's Sportacus."

The creature seemed rather uninterested, "Oh reallay?"

"Yes, and if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Keh."

"Where am I?"

"The real question is 'where aren't you?'"

Sportacus looked at the creature's back strangely, "Huh?"

The creature rocked forward, putting his knuckles to the ground like an ape about to walk. As it slowly turned, Sportacus's eyes widened as they perceived the creature's entire form. The face was flat and thin, the bones showing through the pale skin. The eyes bulged from their sockets, their size and appearance alone with the capability to frighten a child. Thin strings of hair dangled in random places on its head and its ears were long with tips. A small smirk spread across its face.

"You don't know where you are, but you know where you aren't." It placed its hand on its chest, "I, Gorgo, know where you aren't."

A lump was in Sportacus's throat, "Which is?"

Gorgo shook his head, "You obviously aren't in the real world. The real world would be veray much more pleasant. If you aren't in the real world, you must be Dead."

Sportacus went limp. _Dead? I'm DEAD?_ "Wha-"

"But you're not _dead_, because this is not the realm of the dead. An elf such as _yourself_ would know the realm of the dead when you saw it."

"How'd you know-"

"You're an elf?"

Sportacus only could nod. Gorgo strode toward him in an ape like fashion, a smug grin on his face. Every inch of the elf's body felt as if it had something crawling all over it. It took all of his might to keep his hand from shaking as hard as he wanted to. Gorgo stopped in front of Sportacus, and after staring at him for a moment, shrugged.

"Onlay an elf could get here."

"So where's here?"

Gorgo rolled his eyes, "Oh please. I _told_ you where you aren't."

"...I'm not dead…but I'm not alive? …so I'm halfway between death and life?"

"Correct."

"So…I'm in a coma?"

Gorgo clapped his hands sarcastically, "Veray good! You are right! You are in a coma…well…something like it. Only elves such as yourself could be, well, awake in such a state as you are right now."

Sportacus rubbed his chin, "So, when Dr. Fuuten gave me the shot to make my pain go away…he put me in a coma?"

Gorgo thought for a moment, then shrugged, "If that's how you see it."

Sportacus tilted his head to the side. This thing…it didn't make sense. It was as if it was giving him riddles, but when he answered it, he was either partially right or completely wrong. And it wasn't going to give Sportacus any hints or answers. Robbie would be fully intrigued.

"So…I'm dreaming?"

"Possibly."

"…what do you mean possibly? If I wasn't dreaming, I'd be probably awake and in a practical place like in my bed."

Gorgo slinked behind Sportacus, "Hrm. True…but if you _were_ dreaming…"

Gorgo swiftly struck the back of Sportacus's calf, digging his shallow claws in as quickly as his strike. Sportacus lunged forward with a yelp. He spun quickly around, giving Gorgo a shocked, irritated look. Gorgo only smirked at the elf, slowly putting his large hand back on the ground.

"You won't have a mark on your leg when you wake up. Keh, Keh, Keh."

Sportacus rubbed his calf, "So just why are _you_ here?"

Gorgo looked at the elf questioningly, "I told you. I've always been here."

"You live here?"

"If 'live' is what you'd like to call it."

Sportacus sighed loudly and slumped his shoulders. This was getting nowhere. More questions and riddles instead of answers. It was a waste of time and Sportacus was done. The way Sportacus saw it, there was only one way to get answers out of this thing and that was through reverse psychology. Make it think that he didn't want or need its help. Shaking his head, the elf straightened again and placed his hands on his hips. His eyes closed and his head turned to the side, giving a disapproving gesture to the strange creature.

"Well. You're surely no help."

Gorgo just looked at him.

"I guess I'll just get myself out of here and wake myself up."

Gorgo rolled his eyes, "Oh please. You reallay are a dunce."

Sportacus popped an eye open.

"You think I'd fall for such juvenile things? You spend way too much time with those children, yes yes."

Sportacus shot Gorgo an annoyed glare. Maybe this creature is smarter than it seems. Even so, it still didn't need to insult him. Sportacus was so irritated; he had failed to realize the significance of what Gorgo had just said.

"What was that?"

"You're juvenile."

"Am not!"

A smug grin went over Gorgo's face, "Uh huh. Sure. And the next thing you'll tell me is you've nevar been told no before."

Sportacus nearly snarled, but he bit his tongue. _Change the subject._ Sportacus's eyes looked over the creature. Questions started arising in his head about Gorgo's figure. What did he do that made him that thin? Did he neglect his body that much or was there just not enough food there to sustain him?

"So…just what are you?"

"Me?"

Sportacus rolled his eyes, "No, the thing behind you."

Gorgo tilted his head, "Honestlay, do you not have anything wittay to say? And you say you're not juvenile." Before Sportacus could say anything, Gorgo continued, "One could say what I am is something found everywhere."

"…huh? That clarifies nothing. Just more riddles."

"If you were a smart elf like you seem to think, you'd know the answers before I'd ask the questions. So by using logic, being that you don't know the answers, you're not smart."

Sportacus looked appalled, "Excuse me?"

Gorgo began to examine his finger nails, "Excused."

"I don't think you realize who you're dealing with!"

"Oh I do…" he looked up from his nails, "But you don't."

Sportacus blinked once and Gorgo disappeared. He gasped in surprise, stepping backwards slightly. _What? Where?_ A sharp shiver went up his spine, one much like the shiver he had when he first laid eyes on Gorgo.

Suddenly, the entire place went dark, the echo of a loud shriek piercing the calm air. The sound sent pain through Sportacus's ears and he shook with agony. Fear filled his entire being. The elf could suddenly feel a presence behind him, and before he could react, bony fingers tightly grabbed Sportacus's shoulder and Gorgo's harsh, foul stench engulf Sportacus's senses.

"Soon, you will realize just how luckay you are to have met me. Keh, keh, keh…"

--

Sportacus's eyes blinked open, the dim light of the room causing him to cringe in slight pain. The light coming from a high window was slight. He figured it was early dawn, extremely early. The elf sighed. The pain was gone, but he still ached a bit. Slowly he sat up in bed, a few bones cracking and popping on his way up. As soon as he was up, a small feeling of dizziness made his head feel light and fuzzy. Grabbing his head, Sportacus rubbed his temples and shook the strange feeling from him.

The elf didn't feel tired, but his mind ached before it recalled the last thing he remembered. That horrible place and that horrible creature. Everything Sportacus remembered it saying was nothing but riddles and gibberish. He had been under a lot of stress lately. Stress can lead to nightmares. Yes, that's what it was. It was only a dream and nothing more. But some part of Sportacus told him something else…that it wasn't just a dream. The stench was still in his nostrils and sharp shivers crawled over his skin. But that wasn't what bothered him. It was the voice. Gorgo's voice rang in his ears as if he was right there.

"_You won't have a mark on your leg when you wake up."_

Sportacus's eyes drifted down the sheets and to his legs. The blankets outlined the muscular legs underneath them and a feeling to look at his leg started to churn in his stomach and slowly up to his head. His hand snaked down and grabbed the fabric just above his knee. But Sportacus paused, shaking slightly. His mind was whizzing with thoughts. _What if there is a mark? What would it mean? No, there couldn't possibly be…But what if?_ He just stared at his cloth covered leg, pondering whether to do it or not. Finally with a snort, he removed his hand and scowled.

"Nonsense." He laid back down and closed his eyes, "Nothing but a stupid dream."

--

"God Damn it!"

Robbie held his wrist loosely, pulling it to his body in pain. He had been working on a new invention that would fix the impurities in foods, like eliminating toxins and what not. Much to his bad luck, a wire snapped and recoiled, slashing his wrist. A little stream of blood trickled down his wrist, and with a growl, Robbie rose from his work bench and headed to the bathroom. Quickly he turned the water on and slowly put his injured wrist underneath the flowing stream. A shiver went over his entire body as the water turned from cold to warm, and Robbie cringed in slight pain.

Removing his wrist, Robbie examined his injury. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was deep enough to be there for a while. Sighing, he reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a cloth and wrapped his wrist. The white fabric quickly turned red, creating an outline of his cut. Robbie wasn't a brain surgeon, but he was knowledgeable enough to be a doctor. He tugged further on his bandage, making sure it was secure. Constantly he adjusted it, as if it were a picture on the wall that just didn't seem to be level. Imperfection was something Robbie hated when he had control of a situation, and this was no exception. The bandage was going to be on perfect and perfect it was to be.

When satisfied, the lanky man turned the water off and returned to his work bench. He couldn't figure out why the wire snapped. The wire had been pulled extra tight. It could have been extra stress on the tense wire. It could have been extra stress on the mechanic. Robbie rubbed his face wearily. He had been plagued by strange dreams for the last few days. The dreams he didn't know how to describe. They were all too real, almost like déjà vu that he wished would never come true. Many of the dreams resulted in everyone Robbie cared about in some sort of peril. Often times, Sportacus was imprisoned in some way, Dr. Fuuten was eaten alive by some sort of monster, and the children were all sent away to some sort of labor camp. What puzzled the master of disguise more was what happened to him. The dreams would always start out as Robbie witnessing the children put to grueling work, then would move to Robbie witnessing Sportacus in chains, beaten up and bloody. They always ended with Dr. Fuuten. Dr. Fuuten would look at him, then would be eaten alive while something lunged at Robbie, assumingly to kill him. That's when Robbie would wake up.

Robbie was no Sigmund Freud, but he didn't concern himself with such nightmares. Dreams were dreams. Sure, sometimes they gave omens of the future, but those are such fickle, simple dreams. They were all humanly possible. Robbie's dreams? No way. Not in the most likely possible. Robbie always tossed them aside. But what made Robbie actually so stressed about these dreams was that they felt so real. Like he was actually there…Almost as if there was a border between dreams and reality and Robbie was cradling the line, making the two elements intertwine in front of his eyes.

Such dreams were spooky, even to the most brilliant minds. Robbie now days was scared of any sort of sleep because of this. Often he found himself drifting on and off, and once he was sound asleep, stirred awake as quickly as he was out. The dreams were always instant. There was no delay in getting to him. It was if as soon as he shut his eyes, someone pressed the play button and they'd start. Robbie hated it. He loved sleep and stupid "visions" were keeping him from it. He was getting so tired and exhausted, his beloved cake and sweets couldn't even help him. Robbie snarled. Damn him and his tired taste buds.

The tired man looked at his work. The machine looked all fuzzy, causing him to sigh heavily. He needed sleep, no matter what the dream. Pushing away from the work table, he heaved himself up and walked to his big, orange fuzzy chair. A flop was heard as Robbie dropped into the orange see of fur. Not even the extra fuzziness of the chair comforted him for what he knew was going to be another haunted, restless sleep.

Not a single life form stirred up above ground that night. There were no dogs barking, no cars driving by, not even the crickets chirping their night song. The large apple tree in the middle of town stood still, its apple-filled branches swaying the lightest breeze.

There was a branch on the tree that had only one apple at its tip. All the other apples were on other branches, far away from this particular apple. The closest branch had multiple apples on it, but all but one was near the inside of the tree. The single one away from its branch kin was near the tip, like the other apple. This particular apple wasn't the healthiest piece of fruit and had a dark bruise, nearly purple. It swayed with the lonely apple, for it too was lonely. There wasn't anything wrong with it. It was just separated from its kin. They swayed together in the breeze, the bruised one depending on the lone one and the lone one depending on the bruised. Each grew with each other's company, healing and ripening to perfection. They complimented each other and the two apples wouldn't have it in any other way.

A single black raven flew through the air, briskly landing on the branch of the bruised apple. It looked at it curiously, walking from side to side on the branch to examine it. The slight glisten of the lone apple in the moonlight caught the bird's eye, and the raven hopped over to the lone apple's branch. The force of the bird leaving its branch caused the bruised apple to hit the branch above it, a small knob in the wood puncturing the bruise. The moon's light glistened in the raven's eye as it examined the apple on its lone tree, far away from whatever help it could get. A few moments passed and the raven pecked at the apple, bruising its perfect skin and puncturing it deeply. The branch bounced violently and the lone apple's stem gave way. The raven hopped from the branch and flew off as the apple free fell through the air. After a few seconds, it hit the ground and broke in two.

High up above, back on its own branch, the bruised apple was still. A single stream flowed through its punctured bruise and down its skin. All else was silent.

* * *

AN

Hey guys! I'm here! And back in school...DAMNS. So my fic work is slowed, but it will not diminish like it did last year, kay? I've got a few things planned for Creme and a few for Fuzzies and a few for this one! And what else is I got another idea for a new one...but I won't exercise that one for a while. So, now my problem child fic has become one of my shiners, because of the genius (lolz, I floats my own boat) idea I had for it. Creme is now my problem child. Stupid thing. Don't worry. It'll get updated.

But onto the chapter! It's a new thing, but I opened the chapter with a quote. It seemed rather appropriate and really, it helps pull stuff together. It was a different quote, but I decided I'll use that for later. It is delicious. :3

I always thought elves would have some sort of different reaction for the most part to being put under, mostly due to the fact their elf magic might not allow them to be in such a vulnerable state, so they put up some sort of defense. They're dreaming but they're not. I dunno how else to explain it. His scene was hard because I sat down to write it one day and it totally stumped me. Adding a complex OC to the mix just makes it harder. Gorgo is quite based off of Gollum (LoTR), but Gorgo's figure was actually perceived before the Two Towers when we finally see him. After I had seen the first movie way back in the day, I actually had doodles of how I perceived him to be, eventually turning him into an OC instead of a guess of how Gollum looked and named him Gork. But Gork was a funny little dude in my doodgles. Gorgo is not. And I renamed him for the sake of this fic...and because I like Gorgo better...and I just realized that they all start with the letter G. XD

And yeah...minimum Robbie in this chapter, but that will possibly change. But anybody getting any creepies yet? I hope so...cuz' that's what I'm goin for!

Lots of love!


	8. Combustion

There was no window to let the sun peak inside to awaken the sleeping elf, nothing but cold walls and darkness. But for it being so cold, Sportacus was extremely warm. Sweat dripped from his brow and down his face. His body responded negatively to his restless sleep, occasionally twitching violently. One violent jerk of his leg stirred the elf from his slumber. Sportacus sat up, opening his eyes only to still be engulfed in darkness. He could already tell it wasn't the same room he had been in before. It was too empty besides him and his bed. He scowled. This game of musical chairs with rooms was getting old. The top of his left arm ached slightly, as if he had been poked with something sharp, like a knife.

Stretching, Sportacus sighed loudly. He needed to find Dr. Fuuten and get things straight. Never had Sportacus been told the game plan of what was going on and he got tired of being in the dark, both figuratively and literally. Sportacus slinked out of bed, his hot feet touching the cold, stony floor. He thought momentarily, trying to locate the door, and once he thought he had found its location, he swiftly moved towards it. Once there, he reached out a large hand to grasp the handle and pulled it down.

The handle didn't move. It was stuck in place, as if it was some sort of prop instead of a door. Sportacus's eyes widened slightly, surprised at the situation. Sweat continued to stream down his face and body as his mind considered what was going on. The fact that he couldn't come up with anything logical only made him even more frustrated.

A sudden sense of nervousness swept down his entire body, as if something was watching him intently. He tensed himself completely and with a quick switch, turned to face what could possibly be watching him. His quickness would be in vain, even with his elfin eyes the dark wouldn't reveal what hid within. Sportacus began to shake. He almost felt helpless, like a blind man looking for the way out. His body still radiated with heat, turning into a dull pain. He knew he needed to calm down, get a grip on himself. His elfin powers needed to save him again. Taking a deep breath, Sportacus closed his eyes, trying to focus. He hummed to himself, reaching inside his mind for that little blue spark that would bring him to his senses.

But the more he focused, the hotter he became. Each time he reached for that spark, he felt his veins pulse violently. Sportacus fought the pain, knowing he needed to find his focus. But even for the sports elf, the pain was hard to bare and the spark was getting farther and farther away. He began to get desperate, ignoring his pleading body and going for one strong last push to reach the light.

It would be a push he should never have attempted.

Sportacus screamed so loudly, it made his ears convulse. His entire body burned from inside, his blood boiling in his veins and his skin feeling like liquid. He frantically looked around him. Fire was everywhere, springing up violently and threatening to engulf him completely. His heart was racing faster than a heart should, so fast a normal person would be dead way long before. He turned, finding the door, and ran to it.

Sportacus collapsed on the door, grabbing the handle and trying to turn it. It hissed with heat and Sportacus pulled his hand back in panic. The room got even hotter, so hot it was like a roast in the oven, cooking the meat thoroughly. Sportacus lost all control of anything and pounded on the door.

"FUUTEN."

There was no answer.

"Dr. Fuuten, please! Help!"

There was still no answer.

Sportacus turned and pressed his back to the door. The fire was getting closer. His legs gave out beneath him and he fell to the floor, trying to push himself farther into the door. The fire crept slowly towards him, and he shrunk as small as he could, but to no avail. Any piece of sanity left in his mind at the moment seemed to fade away. The fire was almost to him. Nothing was in his mind, not LazyTown, not the kids. Not even Robbie. It was almost like any notion or concept of them was nothing but a puff of smoke.

The blue in his eyes went black with the blood curdling scream that escaped his lips as the fire finally reached him.

Dr. Fuuten's arms were folded behind his back as he stared through the glass. The muffled sound of Sportacus's screams resonated inside the empty room, and Dr. Fuuten's eyes scrunched as he watched the elf screaming in the corner.

"Interesting."

He pulled out a small, thin remote from his back pocket and pressed the little button. A sigh escaped his wiry lips.

"Day two. It was not until a third dose of the serum until we see its affects on #23, compared to his priors whom felt the affects after the first. Peculiar things with this trial. The affects of the serum appear to be the complete opposite in elves as opposed to humans. Hallucinations, extreme body convulsions, extreme anxiety and high body temperature as opposed to a low activity state. Upon observation of #23, it has been decided there will be no more trials of Serum 2. Instead, there will be a progression to the study of the body's stamina in connection to the mental state. Twenty-three will be sent into a coma-state for safety precautions in the move."

He pressed the button again and slid the remote back into his pocket. Behind his glasses, his dark, black eyes studied Sportacus's features, looking for anything he may have missed. Sportacus had fallen to the floor, twisting and writhing in pain from the fire. His screams interchanged with whimpers and grunts, his hands running all over this body frantically. Dr. Fuuten glanced up above the window. There were digital counters on the wall, labeled various things in regards to the body. He noted with interest a certain number and pressed the remote's button again.

"Heart rate has accelerated drastically. 300 beats a minute. Consideration has been taken in the mental state of #23, though a rough estimate for a normal panic attack of a human is 80 to 120 beats per minute. Final recordings should also note there is very little known of the elfish norm for heart rate, normal or in a panic." He sighed, "Data cannot therefore be conclusive in this observation."

He pressed the button once again and resumed watching Sportacus through the opaque glass. Sportacus's screams had subsided to strained whimpers. His chest heaved slowly beneath him as his body lay in a crumpled up ball of trembling, tan bronze flesh. His consciousness was slipping away, Dr. Fuuten could tell. There was no more fight in the elf. He had given way to hallucination, ready to accept his death to the flame. Dr. Fuuten's brow furrowed. He couldn't let him pass out. Letting him lose consciousness could prove to be dangerous, as would a dreamer dying in their own dream.

Dr. Fuuten grabbed a second remote from his pocket and pushed two different buttons. A silent, colorless gas seeped into Sportacus's room and finally flooded over his withered body. His pants slowly slowed into a normal breath and all the tension in his muscles died away. The doctor stood still, watching his subject before turning and shuffling out to proceed with the next phase.

_"Sportacus?"_

_ Robbie stood in an empty room, dark as his raven hair. He didn't know why he was there, nor did he want to stay there long. But Robbie had a bad feeling, and part of himself told him Sportacus was there and he needed to get out. There was a strange odor in the air, causing Robbie to cringe each time he inhaled. The raw essence of charred flesh engulfed his senses, and Robbie could only hope it wasn't the flesh of anyone he knew. _

_ "Sportacus? Sport, you the-"_

_ Robbie's call was interrupted by a blood curdling shrill that morphed quickly into cackling. The cackling continued, interrupted occasionally by blood filled coughs. Robbie stared in the direction of the sound, slightly unnerved. It didn't sound like Sportacus at all, but something inside him urged to call out the elf's name again._

_ "Sportacus?"_

_ The cackling ceased, followed by dead silence. Robbie tensed, preparing himself for whatever the silence was masking. Something was telling him he had to protect someone. Protect Sportacus. He wasn't much of a fighter, but he knew basics, enough to make it so he could escape. The problem was he couldn't escape this time, not without Sportacus._

_ The silence finally broke with the sound of wood swiftly drug across cardboard followed by the hissing sound of fire. Robbie squinted his eyes, unable to see the orange flame. There suddenly was a clapping sound and deep whoosh._

_ "ROBBIE!"_

_ Robbie was hit by wall of extreme heat, nearly falling backwards from its pure force. His body broke into sweat and Robbie opened his eyes to a blinding blaze of orange and red. He raised his arms before him, peaking around to see if he could see anything, but he was just met with more flames. Suddenly he felt something tug him back. _

_ "Robbie!"_

_ Robbie didn't look at the elf, "Sportacus, we gotta go! The fire's too strong."_

_ "ROBBIE."_

_ Robbie snarled, "We don't have time for this!" Robbie turned, "We gotta-"_

_ A gasp escaped Robbie's lips and his eyes widened with horror. Sportacus stared at him with bloodshot eyes. Pieces of his face were burned, other parts weren't there at all…just red, black flesh. Sportacus reached up and grabbed Robbie's shoulders, clutching them tightly. Some of the elf's fingers were nothing but bone. _

_ "I'm DYING."_

_ A giant lump clogged Robbie's throat, preventing him from breathing._

_ "I said I'm DYING."_

_ Robbie pulled out of Sportacus's grasp, backing up slowly, "Sport…"_

_ Sportacus watched Robbie with shock filled eyes, "Why are you leaving?"_

_ Embers dropped from above behind Sportacus, sizzling and hissing as each hit the ground. All Robbie could do was stare at what used to be Sportacus. He couldn't respond, he didn't know how. All he could do was shake with fear and dread. Sportacus stared back. Soon his brow furrowed deeply, and a growl rumbled in his throat, flames coming from the embers that had fallen behind him. Robbie gasped, staring into the dark eyes._

_ "You."_

_ Robbie shuddered._

_ "YOU."_

_ Robbie quickly turned and began to run, but Sportacu's cracked, outraged voice followed him as if it was yelled in Robbie's ear._

_ "IT'S YOUR FAULT."_

Robbie thrashed awake in his bed, screaming. His chest heaved, trying to catch his breath. His entire body was drenched in sweat. The nightmare was beyond anything he'd ever had before. Robbie ran a shaking hand through his wet hair. It all felt too real. The heat, the fire, the horror. It all was just too much. What haunted him the most was Sportacus. The elf in his dream wasn't the same blue elf Robbie knew.

_ "IT'S YOUR FAULT."_

It was only a dream, but it still killed Robbie all the same. He tried to look at the dream in an analytical way. The nightmare might have been a psychological response of feeling guilty for sending Sportacus on a trip to places he shouldn't have been. Guilty for making him feel homesick. Guilty for not going with him. Robbie snorted, still breathing heavily. It could've been a reflection on Robbie's constant inner nagging telling him to go and get Sportacus back. _Go get him._

Robbie was starting to miss Sportacus. He had only gotten the one letter from Sportacus, and that was a while ago. Few days, maybe. But Robbie was starting to feel a little tug at his heart strings each time he thought about the blue elf. He even tried doing things with the kids, but still his mind wandered back to Sportacus. It wasn't the same without him around. It was starting to down-right suck.

_ Danger. Go get him._

Robbie snarled and swung himself out of bed, heading straight to the kitchen. He opened up a cabinet and grabbed a shot glass and bottle of whiskey. The image of Sportacus scalded with burns was burned into the back of his eyelids. The only possible cure for this was to fight burn with burn, and Robbie would do that all night if he needed to. He filled the shot glass to the brim and downed the whiskey quickly, cringing as it slid down his throat. The liquid's heat crawled through him and distracted him momentarily. But soon the image of a melting elf came back, the accusations still ringing.

_"IT'S YOUR FAULT."_

Robbie quickly filled the glass again.

"WEEEEELLLLL."

Sportacus's eyes popped open, startled at the shrill.

"Look who's back agayin!"

Sportacus shuffled back, startled. He stared partly confused, but soon was reminded of where he was by the pure, but loosely familiar stench that surrounded the creature. Gorgo cackled, hopping around with amusement. Sportacus glanced around, looking for some possible explanation for why he was there again, but soon was pulled from his thoughts.

Gorgo leaned fully on his knuckles, his face still bright with amusement, "What brings you back to Gorgo, Hmmm? Come now, come now. What brings you back?"

Sportacus rose to his feet, actually thinking about the question, "I…don't know why I'm here-"

"Oh, come now! Yes you do!"

Sportacus looked at him, "No, I really don't."

Gorgo stomped his foot in mock frustration, "You REALLAY do."

"Dr. Fuuten didn't give me a shot and put me in a coma. The last thing I remember was heat and fire. So I must have passed out."

Gorgo erupted in laughter, rolling around on the floor like an orangutan. Sportacus watched the gnarled creature. He didn't understand what was so funny. What's so funny about passing out? Sportacus put his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. Gorgo sat up, still laughing.

"YOU. You passed out! You reallay are a stupid elf."

Sportacus glared, "Excuse me? It's not so funny when you-"

"THINK you're going to catch FIRE?" Gorgo fell backwards again, laughing.

"What do you mean 'think?' I was! It all was REAL."

Gorgo sat back up, "Or so you think."

"Or so I know."

Gorgo rolled his eyes, "Oh yah, sure. Everything you feel and see is automatically real right?"

Sportacus looked at him strangely, "Well, no but-"

"Have you looked at your leg yet?"

Sportacus blinked, "Huh?"

Gorgo slapped his forehead, snorting a laugh as he did. Sportacus didn't understand, but maybe that was part of it. Not understanding would lead to understanding. Logic right? Gorgo waved his finger at Sportacus's calf.

"Nevar checked that did you?"

"Well, no."

"Ho hum. Disappointing."

Sportacus looked down at his leg, covered with his blue striped pants. He suddenly had the temptation to look, see if this atrocity of a creature was telling the truth. He raised his face to look over at Gorgo, but was only met with a dirty, smashed in mug with wide eyes. There was a hissing noise, and Gorgo raised a lit match before Sportacus.

"Need a light?"

Sportacus jerked back violently, shaking Gorgo off his back. Gorgo burst out laughing again, rolling around. Sportacus stared at him. He didn't feel Gorgo climb onto his back. He didn't even catch the stench Gorgo radiated. How he could've missed it, he didn't know. It started to make Sportacus uneasy to think he might not be able to rely on his senses…or even himself for that matter.

"You done yet?"

Gorgo stood on all fours again, "Oh, I suppose."

"Do you always take delight in others' pain?"

"Do you actually have testicles?"

Sportacus snarled, "It's a serious question."

Gorgo rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on. Of COURSE I do."

Sportacus snorted, "That's pathetic. Getting off on other people's pain just proves you're in pain yourself."

"Oh get off your high horse. You're the one who's pathetic."

"Oh really?"

Gorgo looked at him, one eye brow raised, "Considering you actually thrive on others' pain."

Sportacus looked at him in shock, "Excuse me?"

Gorgo chuckled lightly, walking off into the pure white. Sportacus's eyes followed his hunched back as it sauntered away. Gorgo stopped, turned to Sportacus and beckoned Sportacus to follow.

"Come, come."

Sportacus looked at him curiously, "Where we going?"

"Just come."

Sportacus stared at Gorgo, trying to find his angle. There was no real reason to go with Gorgo. He'd probably just get even more frustrated and irritated than before. But something deep inside told him otherwise, burning for him to join the twisted beast. Common sense was telling him not to. Curiosity was telling him to. Common sense didn't seem to be as compelling as it usually was. Sportacus trotted to catch up to Gorgo, who began to move again as soon as Sportacus was with him. The elf looked down at Gorgo, thin white strands of hair waving softly as he hobbled.

"What are we doing?"

Gorgo smirked, not looking at him, "You have much to learn."

Robbie banged his head on the workbench lightly. Sleep was a rare thing now, replaced by nightmares that threatened to turn into night terrors. He started feeling sick from the lack of sleep, his head aching and stomach lurching. There was a reason he slept so much before Sportacus came to LazyTown. Sleep was healthy. Robbie liked sleep. Sleep was good.

It was ridiculous to think that the town's laziest man couldn't even accomplish being lazy anymore. Robbie always felt like he had to be busy and active. It made his mind focus on something and kept the horrific images and memories of his dreams at bay. But it didn't calm his mind. Only suppressed it. Robbie hated it. He didn't have sleeping problems until Sportacus left. _Go get him._ It was like Sportacus was his personal teddy bear that he couldn't sleep without. Robbie's stomach churned again. Sportacus always gave off this comforting feeling to Robbie, and though he never openly admitted it, Robbie enjoyed the elf and everything that came with him. The memory of that feeling was something he held dearly and the thought of it made him feel sicker.

Robbie sat up, staring off into the rafters of his lair. He hadn't heard from either Sportacus or Dr. Fuuten for a while. On one level, he was okay, but on another, he was filled with a little bit of dread. _Go get him._ Almost like something had gone wrong. _It's not safe._ Robbie sighed loudly, closing his eyes to think. After a moment, he got up and headed straight to his pipe that led out of his lair. There was only one way to solve an unsettling feeling. _Hurry._

Robbie hopped out of his pipe casually, and after latching it shut, headed for town. It was a rather cloudy, threatening to rain, but Robbie didn't care. He headed for the closest bus stop, opening up his wallet and grabbing a few dollars._ Quickly. It's not safe._

Robbie sat down on the bench once he reached the bus stop. His eyes were hazed with weariness, so much that they looked like the clouds above him. It wasn't long before he heard the bus's engine. He looked down the street, watching as the bus pulled up to a stop. As he rose to enter the bus, his mind echoed the constant chants that have plagued him.

_Go. Hurry, it's dangerous. _

After paying the driver, Robbie found an open seat and sat down.

_It's not safe. Go get him. GO._

Robbie mentally sighed, feeling the bus lurch into motion again. He stared out the window, rain drops occasionally tapping on the glass as he contemplated what answers he might find.

_You're probably too late._

* * *

_AN_

Hey guys, it's me. Updating...xD I plan on either working on Fuzzies or Creme next. Fuzzies, probably because I've got a chapter actually almost done. I just gotta figure out how to end it. :P

__I was thinking while I wrote this and came to the conclusion this story is just starting to take an extremely morbid turn. And it's going to get worse with how I've got this relatively planned_. _I've been apartment searching and working at the same time, so I'm getting drained, but I signed my new lease today, so that's done...for the most part. But yeah. Warm Fuzzies is probably next...and then all 3 of them will be freakin starting off with a blank new chapter...son of a bitch. xD_ I love it._

_Lots of love, _

_Cass  
_


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